The Dance in the Stars
by sp831
Summary: Chapter/Episode 8 is finally finished! Sentarou overcomes his shyness and takes Skuld out on a date. Skuld learns a valuable lesson about love. Based on storyline of OAV and movie. Enjoy!
1. Chapter Episode 6 The Great Race

Episode/ Chapter 6 – The Great Race  
  
Note: ("Words like this") – thoughts or speaking to one's self  
  
(##Words like this##) – telephone conversation  
  
Things had finally begun to settle down for everyone. It's been a month since the incident with Celestine and Yggdrasil. Keiichi and Belldandy now felt even closer than before, like a new beginning. The renewal of the contract had been like a reaffirmation of how they felt about each other(*).  
  
Keiichi, Belldandy, and Megumi had once again finished another year at Nekomi Tech. One thing for sure that was on Keiichi's mind was to plan some sort of getaway from the city for a few weeks for all of them, including Urd and Skuld. Unfortunately, that plan would soon be cut short for two reasons. First of all, finances were pretty tight for them since 4 people living under one roof with a lot of visitors can get expensive. The other reason was about to present itself.  
  
Keiichi sat at his desk pondering any possible way of arranging something for the girls, especially Belldandy for this summer. As he browses through the brochures, it seemed hopeless since he knew that he didn't even have close to enough money to pay for a summer getaway. The telephone rings.  
  
"I'll get it!" Belldandy runs through the hallway to answer it.  
  
"Hello. May I help you?"  
  
"(##Belldandy? Hey, it's Chihiro.##)"  
  
"Chihiro, hi! How're you?"  
  
"(##Very good, actually. Hey listen. The reason I'm calling is that I have something for Keiichi that I would like to discuss with him. Is he there by any chance?##)"  
  
"Yes, he is. I'll get him for you" Belldandy walks to Keiichi's room.  
  
"Keiichi?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Chihiro is on the phone. She says that there's something she needs to talk to you about." Keiichi immediately chokes up.  
  
"W-Wait...I didn't do anything this time."  
  
"Oh no no, Kei. Actually, she sounded really excited."  
  
Keiichi gets up and goes to pick up the phone. Belldandy sees the assortment of brochures on Keiichi's desk and begins to look through them.  
  
*****  
  
Later at the auto club with Keiichi, Chihiro, Tamiya, and Ootaki...  
  
Keiichi looks up from reading a flyer.  
  
"A motorcycle race in Tokyo?"  
  
"That's right. They're inviting motor club teams from universities all over Japan to participate."  
  
"Sooo, what's the big deal?" Keiichi says  
  
"Are you kidding? You know how much it would help the reputation of the Motorclub, especially with the new freshman coming in for next fall?" Tamiya says. Chihiro clears her throat.  
  
"AND Whirlwind as well Tamiya. Not to mention that there's a trophy and a very nice cash prize for the winner"  
  
"Really? How much?"  
  
Chihiro pauses and smiles as she prepares to answer, "1,000,000 yen."  
  
"What?! Wow! ...That is a nice prize" Keiichi responds.  
  
Tamiya immediately gets in Keiichi's face and starts to beg. Keiichi knew right away that he had better say yes, especially with Tamiya right there. "Don't you see what this could do for us Morisato?"  
  
"Yeah, Aoshima's club won't have nothin' on us if we win." Ootaki adds.  
  
"Both Whirlwind and the Motor Club could use the funds. And... I can't think of anyone better than you to race in it. It's in 3 weeks. Unless you already have plans for the summer."  
  
Keiichi slunks down in his chair and breathes a sigh in disappointment. "Naw, I'm broke. I was going to try to plan a vacation for all of us this summer, but I can't afford it. I really wanted to do something for the girls. Besides, the money I do have saved up now is for something important."  
  
"Wait a minute. Is it what I think it is?" Chihiro's eyes brightened.  
  
"Alright Morisato!" Ootaki says.  
  
"Yes, but please don't say anything, guys. And make sure that Sora doesn't find out either, or else it'll be all over campus."  
  
"Hmmm.... Hey, Keiichi, I'll tell you what. If you win this, we'll split with you a portion of the prize money so that you can take Belldandy on vacation this summer, as our way of saying thanks for all of your hard work you two have put in this past year"  
  
"Chihiro, no I really shouldn't. I'll definitely agree to do this race for the motor club. The prize belongs to you guys. Besides, there's a temporary job for the summer that I can take anyways. I'm not going to take the money that's for the club."  
  
"Don't argue with me. You shouldn't be spending your entire summer working. You and Belldandy definitely should have some time for fun this summer. I do still need you though in August before school starts again for the motor show preparation, if you're still up to it."  
  
"Yeah, of course. But, are you sure about this? Because I know that the Motor Club could use the additional funding."  
  
"Listen, Kei. I know that you and Belldandy went through a rough time this past year. I wanna help you guys out. Just think of this as a gift from all of us. The prize money is more than enough for both Whirlwind and the Motor Club. Right guys?"  
  
"Hey, anything for our little buddy and the future Mrs. Morisato." Ootaki says.  
  
"I don't know what to say..."  
  
"Don't worry about it...Oh, and one more thing. Actually, I should've mentioned this first. Before you completely agree to this, I need to warn you of something. First of all, this is kind of a dangerous race. The qualifying rounds are at the Honda Speedway, winners in each round determine the top 8 racers for the final, with best times determining starting position. That's not the problem. But it's the final race the day after that I should warn you about. The race is a designated blocked off route through Tokyo, two laps, approximately a 10-mile stretch per lap. All safety precautions will be used along the route, but they can't guarantee your safety if you crash during the race."  
  
"Morisato can handle it." Tamiya says.  
  
"Wait a minute, Tamiya!!" Keiichi interrupts." What kind of route are we talking about?"  
  
"Here's what we have..." Chihiro sets a map of the Tokyo area on the table and explains and traces the route while explaining it to Keiichi and the guys.  
  
Keiichi stands up with a look of determinance. Although this would take away part of his summer, he knows that this is worth it for the club and Belldandy.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
"Thanks Keiichi."  
  
*********  
  
That evening back at the temple, everyone's doing their usual thing. Urd is watching TV, Skuld is in her room tinkering with Banpei, and Keiichi and Belldandy are seated at the table drinking tea.  
  
"A racing competition in Tokyo. That must be exciting." Belldandy comments as Keiichi takes a sip of his tea.  
  
"Yeah. It could really help out Whirlwind and the Auto Club. The bike that the guys brought over this afternoon is what I'll be using in the race. It's going to need a lot of work though. We have to make sure everything's stable on it."  
  
"Maybe Skuld can help you out." Belldandy says right before some beeps and an explosion occur from Skuld's room. They spring up and run down the hall  
  
"Ahhhh! Banpei, you idiot!"  
  
Keiichi whispers to Belldandy, "I don't know. She looks a little busy and I know never to bother her when she's mad."  
  
"I just don't get it. You've been acting up like this since that virus occurred and none of my programs seem to work." Lets out a sigh. "Oh well." Turns around and sees Keiichi and Belldandy.  
  
"Hey guys, what's up?" She looks at Keiichi and glares at him. "Alright Kei, what do you want?"  
  
"Uh, never mind. You look busy with..."  
  
"Keiichi just ask me." interrupts before Keiichi can sneak away.  
  
"Well, I uh, need some help with the motorcycle I'm using in the race in a few weeks."  
  
"Why are you asking me?"  
  
"It needs a lot of work. Besides, you did a great job with the blueprint design for the drag race that one year."  
  
"Are you making fun of me?"  
  
"Of course not! I'm being serious. I really could use your help"  
  
"I can't even help myself right now. I don't even know what's wrong with Banpei!" Skuld begins to yell while trying not to cry out of frustration  
  
"Skuld, I know that trying to fix Banpei is frustrating. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just be patient." Belldandy said.  
  
"I know I don't know much about how you built Banpei, but I'll help you out myself with trying to fix him. Please, Skuld?"  
  
"(Sniffle)...Well, I guess I could use a break from this. Alright. I'll help you Kei. But don't get used to this though."  
  
"Thanks. I guess" Keiichi responds with a deepening sarcasm. He wasn't sure if he should be glad or a little worried.  
  
Skuld helps Keiichi with fixing up the racing motorcycle for the race in two weeks. Night after night, they work tirelessly referring to Skuld schematics and modifying the bike to what they hope would be their best work yet. After countless hours and sleepless nights, they finally finish. Luckily they have some time to rest before heading to Tokyo. Two nights before the qualifying rounds, Keiichi and Skuld sat outside to admire their handiwork.  
  
"I can't believe we did it." Keiichi eyed over the completed in all of its perfection.  
  
"Yeah, we did. Look how beautiful it is." Skuld saddled her head in her hands with a look of satisfaction.  
  
"She definitely looks like a winner. Thanks to your help."  
  
She looks at Keiichi and grins,"Yep, that's right. Hee hee."  
  
"Hey, Skuld. You feel up to a night time drive and some ice cream?"  
  
Skuld immediately jumps up with no hesitation, grabbing Keiichi's arm as she leads him towards his school motorcycle. Only this time, Skuld would be riding in the sidecar.  
  
"Whoa, uh hey! Uh, Belldandy! I'm gonna bring Skuld out for some ice cream. We'll be back later!"  
  
"Okay! Drive safely you two." Belldandy waves as Keiichi begins to start the motorcycle, knowing well enough never to keep Skuld from her ice cream.  
  
(Belldandy to herself)"I'm so glad that Keiichi and Skuld are so much closer now. My sister and my Keiichi."  
  
After stopping to get their late night treat, Keiichi and Skuld walk to the nearby park where he and Belldandy always went. Skuld of course enjoying her chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream cone. They sit on at a bench facing a beautiful fountain in the clearing of the park where they could see the night sky.  
  
"The race is in 2 days. I hope I'll be ready for it."  
  
Skuld pauses and looks at him. "Well, why?"  
  
"I don't know. It's just that Chihiro told me that this was going to be a dangerous race. And..."  
  
"Well, why are you doing it then?"  
  
"For the club, for Chihiro's Whirlwind, and for all of you."  
  
"For all of us?" Skuld looks at him with a confused look.  
  
"Never mind. I'll be ready."  
  
"You'd better win or else I'll have to smack you over the head like I do with those disgusting bugs." she says as she waves her hammer near his face.  
  
"It's a deal then. I WILL win that race." They laugh as they continue to jokingly exchange remarks about each other.  
  
******  
  
The day of the qualifying rounds in Tokyo. It's a perfect summer day at the Honda Speedway as teams from universities from all over Japan have come to compete in this competition. Keiichi and the guys are prepping the bike for their upcoming heat in the qualifying rounds for today.  
  
"Looks like we're good to go." Keiichi examines the bike one last time.  
  
Sora enters. "Wow. I just watched the first 3 rounds, and the finishing times were really good. Are you ready sempai? You're up after this next round."  
  
Urd puts her arm around Keiichi "Of course he's ready. This is Kei we're talking about. This should be a walk in the park for him. Right Kei?"  
  
"Yeah. We can do this." Keiichi responds.  
  
"With all the modifications we did, this should be easy." Skuld adds.  
  
Announcer: "After our 4th round, it looks like the 1st of 2 teams from Nekomi Tech, Aoshima Formula One will be advancing to tomorrow's finals."  
  
Keiichi could suddenly feel a paralyzing coldness and shock surge through his body at the mention at that name. It had been a few years since the Motor Club had faced off against Aoshima at the drag race, and from the looks of it, they'll be doing it again.  
  
"Aoshima's in this?" Keiichi's head suddenly droops. "Oh, great. Not again."  
  
"Come on Morisato! You kicked his butt last time." Tamiya yells at Keiichi.  
  
"Yeah, but that's because his engine blew out."  
  
"You still would've won buddy." Ootaki says. "Trust me, you'll do just fine against him."  
  
"We all have faith in you Kei. Just remember what I told you. " Belldandy took his hand, hoping to calm him.  
  
"We're all here for you." Chihiro added. "You are the best racer out there. That's why I only asked you to do this. You're definitely better than Aoshima and any other guy out there, because no matter what could happen, you give it everything you've got."  
  
Belldandy hands Keiichi his helmet, smiling sweetly at him as she squeezed his hand tighter. Taking his helmet, he looks at every one of his team members, with all eyes on him, and gives an assuring nod.  
  
"Thanks, guys."  
  
Announcer: "All racers for the 5th round please report to the starting deck."  
  
Keiichi clenches his fist, adjusting his glove as he says with stern confidence, "Alright, let's do this." As he began to exit, Belldandy tugged at his wrist.  
  
"Kei, you're forgetting something."  
  
"Really? W-what?"  
  
With an innocent giggle, she leans towards him. " This silly." A good luck kiss on his cheek, which immediately made Keiichi blush, especially with all of his teammates right there.  
  
"Woo hooo!!  
  
The qualifying round for Keiichi turned out to be a cinch since he blew away the other racers, gaining a spot for tomorrow's finals. After all of the qualifying rounds were completed, best times from each winner determined the starting position out of 8 for tomorrow's race. Keiichi would be starting in 4th position, although each winner's times were very close, which would make it even a better race for tomorrow. All they could do now is relax for the evening.  
  
"I'm ready for some drinks" Urd suggested as they walked back to the hotel.  
  
"Great idea, Urd." Megumi said.  
  
"Yeahh! I'm ready to have some fun too!" Skuld exclaims. Urd placed her hand on Skuld's shoulder.  
  
"Sorry, kid. Grown-ups only." Skuld began to fume.  
  
"Urd, actually it's okay. She can come too. She just can't order a drink. Besides, she did help Kei with the bike."  
  
"Yay! Thanks Megumi!!"  
  
"Oh, great..." Urd sarcastically said to herself as she rolled her eyes.  
  
********  
  
That evening, everyone had gathered in the lounge to celebrate Keiichi's qualifying into tomorrow's final round.  
  
"To my brother, the best all around motorcycle racer!"  
  
"Don't forget my partner, Skuld. A true goddess of mechanics."  
  
"Oh, and to Belldandy, who I hope will soon be my future sister-in- law..."  
  
"Aw, Megumi."  
  
"He he. Relax bro. You know I have to tease you a little bit. Plus, I love watching you turn red."  
  
"So, this is a blast from the past." Everyone turned to notice Aoshima overlooking the group.  
  
"What do you want Aoshima?" Chihiro scowled at him.  
  
"I just came to wish your team the best of luck tomorrow. Although I think the outcome will be different this time, as it should've been."  
  
"What're you talking about?!" Keiichi was glaring at him.  
  
"I remember that day. Everything was perfect with our bike up until the last race."  
  
Skuld during this conversation had been sneaking sips of Urd's drink as everyone's attention was directed towards Aoshima.  
  
"Hey, I raced fair and square against you. You probably pushed the engine too hard or your own guys screwed up on the design."  
  
"Oh, it was the design alright. Especially when there was this strange part attached to it."  
  
Skuld immediately choked and coughed in the middle of taking a drink, feeling the fiery burn of the alcohol in her throat. She quickly put Urd's drink back as Urd turned around in a reaction, staring Skuld square in the face. Skuld grinned back at Urd, hoping to divert her suspicion. Skuld immediately knew what Aoshima was referring to. Skuld had attached a type of acceleration booster to Aoshima's bike, hoping to make Keiichi lose at the drag a few years ago. In the end, it had caused Aoshima Team's engine to blow. Now, Aoshima wanted a rematch.  
  
Megumi stood up and got up into Aoshima's face. "Listen you. Neither my brother nor the Motor Club cheats. All of them are better racers than you are, especially my brother."  
  
"She's definitely right." A voice from behind the group said. Everyone turned around to two women, one with short, black hair dressed casually with slacks and a light tan jacket, and the other with longer braided hair wearing a more professional dark navy blue long skirt and vest outfit with a tie.  
  
The casually dressed woman stepped forward closer to Aoshima. "Keiichi's been racing since he was 16. We should know because we taught him how to ride."  
  
"Oh, by the way sir, do you drive a Red Ferrari 288 GTO?" the other woman asked.  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
"Well, you're parked in a no parking zone. Now, would you like it towed, or shall I give you a ticket instead?"  
  
"Grrrrrr. Fine. Just give me the ticket!!" Aoshima furiously answered.  
  
"Tell you what. Why don't you leave them alone and we'll let it slide for this time. Okay?"  
  
"Alright. I'll go. However, before I do, I have a proposal for you Keiichi. Miss Chihiro. How about a little wager? If I win, I get control of Whirlwind and all of its assets. Also, I think it only makes sense that there only be one Motor Club at Nekomi Tech. Winner stays, and the loser disappears."  
  
"And if we win?" Chihiro asks.  
  
"Then, Aoshima Formula One disappears, Whirlwind gains all assets of my club, and you'll never have to deal with me ever again. Though I doubt that outcome will occur."  
  
"Well, you can forget…." Keiichi began to answer.  
  
"You're on!! Keiichi's the best and he'll kick your butt again!" Chihiro had jumped in to accept before Keiichi could even decline.  
  
"Yeah hic Kei…ichi will kick your buuuhic. Uuuh. Hey, the zei lings and ull of you look zo funny hic" Although Skuld had been stealing just sips of Urd's drink, the amount she had actually drank had quickly accumulated over the course of the evening. Obviously, it didn't take very much for her to get drunk.  
  
"Aaaah! Skuld, you little…Rrrrr. I'll deal with you later."  
  
"Very well then. May the best man win tomorrow." Aoshima snobbishly waves off as he walks away. Keiichi sighs, now knowing the amount of pressure that was on him for tomorrow's race.  
  
"Don't listen to him guys. All of us know that Keiichi will win. Right Miyuki?"  
  
"Mmm hmm. That's right. So Keiichi, Megumi, how have you two been?"  
  
"Good. Thanks for helping us out. You know what, it's been awhile since we last saw you two." Megumi answered.  
  
"Yeah, Natsumi and I have been really busy. You know how it is with police work."  
  
"But when we heard that Nekomi Tech was going to be in this race, we knew that Keiichi would be in it."  
  
"Well, I couldn't let down my team, and actually my mentors for that matter…Oh, I almost forgot to introduce everyone." Keiichi said.  
  
"Yeah, Kei, who is this young lady with you. Hmm? Looks like you got yourself a cutie." Natsumi had slyly eyed Belldandy who had been holding Keiichi's arm.  
  
"Ah hah hah hah" Keiichi started to turn red. Natsumi always teased him about getting a girlfriend. Belldandy displayed a friendly smile as she gracefully stood up and extended her hand to Natsumi.  
  
"Hi, I'm Belldandy. It's a pleasure to meet you. And these are my sisters Urd and Skuld."  
  
"Hey there."  
  
"Huuuiiihic" Skuld managed to produce.  
  
"Whoa, kid. Looks like you had a little too much." Natsumi said.  
  
"Huuuuh. Oh, I'm fuuuuine. Iz nice to meet you.hic"  
  
"Tamiya and Ootaki at your service, ladies!!" Tamiya stood up and bowed gracefully to them.  
  
"And I'm Chihiro, owner of Whirlwind and manager of NIT's Auto Club."  
  
"It's very nice to meet all of you. And of course, we're Miyuki and Natsumi." Miyuki smiled as they both took a seat. "We're actually old friends of Keiichi and Megumi."  
  
"They're the ones who got me started into racing."  
  
"That's right, he learned from the best, being us of course." Natsumi looked slyly at Keiichi and Belldandy again. "But right now, we want to know a little about you, Miss Belldandy. I hope you're taking care of our little Kei-boy here."  
  
"Taking care of Keiichi is the best part of being with him. With Urd and Skuld living with us too, it feels like home." Belldandy said as she looked at Keiichi adoringly.  
  
"That's sweet. Hey, Miyuki, maybe you should take some pointers from Kei-boy here and Belldandy. You know with you and Kenny and all"  
  
"Oh, will you stop! You know Kenny and I are just friends." Miyuki responded, hoping to diffuse the subject shift about her and Kenny.  
  
"Yeah, yeah! You're not kidding anyone! Everyone knows you two like each other."  
  
"…Anyways, we checked out the course layout for tomorrow afternoon's race. If you'd like, Kei, we'll take you through it ourselves so you can have an idea of what to expect." Miyuki said.  
  
"Yeah, that'd be great. We've only seen the road map layout and data so far. At least this way, I'll get a chance to see the actual course itself."  
  
"But for tonight, let's just kick back with a few, since we are off duty." Natsumi suggested.  
  
For the rest of the evening, Miyuki and Natsumi had joined the group telling their stories about working in the police force, and Keiichi and Megumi as well. Skuld had started to doze off from the alcohol that she had consumed through the evening. Near the end of the ending, Keiichi ended up carrying Skuld back up to the room to put her to bed. Shortly, everyone else had turned in for the evening soon after.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, Keiichi had been up bright and early to take a drive with Miyuki and Natsumi through the course passing through parts of the city, which apparently were some of the scenic areas of Tokyo. A few hours later, everyone arrived at the grandstand starting area for the race. The stands were filled as well as spectator areas scattered along the course.  
  
Announcer: "Welcome everyone to the Finals Round of this year's University Motorbike Racing Competition. The eight finalists that you'll see here today have proven to be some of Japan's top racers, and in 30 minutes we'll have a chance to find out who is the best." The announcement continues.  
  
Keiichi and the others thoroughly check the bike one last time for any last repairs or adjustments that were needed. Sora walked into the tent, clipboard in hand.  
  
"Well, you're all checked in, sempai. Are you ready to win today?"  
  
"I sure am. I'm not gonna let Aoshima get the best of us. This is for all of us."  
  
Everyone was in high spirits that day. Everyone except Skuld, who unfortunately felt the effects of last night's little celebration.  
  
"Oww, my head."  
  
"Well, that's what you get for stealing my drinks, squirt." Urd said as she patted Skuld on the head.  
  
"Okay, okay. I get it. Stop that!"  
  
Local intercom: "All racers please proceed to the briefing area with your bike."  
  
"Here we go. This is it."  
  
"Come on everyone, let's get to the stands." Sora runs out with everyone else following soon after except for Keiichi and Belldandy.  
  
"Well, it all comes down to this." Keiichi looked at Belldandy as though this was the last time he would look at her. Belldandy could sense how scared Keiichi was at this moment.  
  
"Keiichi…" Belldandy takes his hand, clasping it with both of hers, holding it tightly. She could feel his hands trembling. It slowly began to subside as Keiichi felt a warm sensation flow into him. Belldandy smiled as she gazed into his eyes. "Promise me you'll be careful out there?"  
  
"I promise. I have all the luck in the world right here in front of me. And that's all I need." As they continued to gaze at each other, both of them were suddenly interrupted.  
  
"Yo Morisato get out there already!" Tamiya yells from outside.  
  
"I'd better go…"  
  
All of the racers including Keiichi arrive at the briefing area and are asked to come inside the tent for a short meeting before the race. As their bikes are left unattended, Aoshima slips out from behind one of the tents towards Keiichi's bike. At the same time, Skuld had wandered into the area while trying to find a restroom. As her eyes drifted towards Aoshima, she suddenly froze with her widening at what she saw.  
  
"Hey, you!" Skuld yelled as she drew out her mallet, making a beeline right towards Aoshima. Aoshima suddenly sprung up and ran towards the team tents. However, due to the hangover that Skuld had, chasing him down was a bit of a problem. Suddenly, the area security guards who had heard Skuld screaming halted Skuld.  
  
"Miss, you can't be in this area."  
  
"Let me go. That guy…" she muttered as she tried to point towards where Aoshima had ran.  
  
"Just go to the spectators area where you're supposed to be."  
  
While all of this was occurring, the rest of the crew anxiously waited at the team's spectator stand for the start of the race. Skuld soon joined the group, silent and on the verge of tears.  
  
"Hey, Skuld, are you okay?" Megumi looked at her with concern. "What's wrong?"  
  
Keiichi and the rest of the competitors begin to exit the meeting tent heading towards their bikes.  
  
"I have to tell Keiichi something!" Skuld immediately jumps off the deck of the booth and runs back towards Keiichi's direction.  
  
"Keiichi!! Keiichi wait!" The security guard stops her again.  
  
"Miss, I told you already you can't be in this area!"  
  
"Keiichi!" She continues to yell as she tries to get his attention. Keiichi waves back at her, not knowing that she was trying to warn him. All of the competitors then began to move their bikes towards the starting line. The security guard by this time had already dragged Skuld back to the Motor Club's spectator stand.  
  
Announcer: "Good afternoon everyone! It looks like we're just about ready to start our final race. The winner of today's competition will receive the coveted winner's trophy and 1,000,000 yen for their university's club. This is a roadway race through areas of Tokyo. 2 laps of 10 mile stretches each. Be sure to watch the monitors as our cameras catch this fast paced race through ocean sides, highways, and all sorts of terrain throughout our magnificent city. And here come the finalists!" (Cheering heightens)  
  
The announcer introduces each of the 8 teams and their drivers for the race. Aoshima's would be starting in 2nd position.  
  
Announcer: "Starting in 4th position, one of the university circuit's best racing clubs, winner of the drag racing competition for the past 4 years, and having one of the highest ranked racers in the university division as its driver today, Keiichi Morisato of Nekomi Tech Auto Club!" The cheering grew to an extremely deafening volume. Keiichi over the years had come from being the underdog to one of the favorites in motor racing, as so many people cheered him on.  
  
Skuld once again had made her way back to the stands. At this point, she was virtually catatonic, with fear for Keiichi's safety overwhelming her, tears beginning to stream down her face.  
  
(Thinking to herself: "Please be okay. Please be okay.")  
  
Announcer: "Racers, take your marks!!" Engines were revving up preparing to bullet out from the starting zone.  
  
"Come on, Keiichi!! Go Nekomi Tech!! Woooo!!!"  
  
"Beep(3)…beep(2)…beep(1)…Go(green)!!!"  
  
Like lightning flashes all of them blasted off, ripping through the first straightway past the ocean of spectators in the stands for the 1st mile stretch. Cameras posted all over the course and tracking through the air would follow this entire race on the monitors. Keiichi knew exactly what he was doing, negotiating each turn and curve with ease. Halfway through the first lap, he was approaching where Miyuki and Natsumi were observing the race from.  
  
"Go, Keiichi!!"  
  
Keiichi managed to cut the corner of a sharp turn perfectly, allowing him to pass one of the front-runners coming out of the turn, pulling into 3rd place. Out of the others, two of them unfortunately ended up sliding off the course into a nearby field. 6 left. As Keiichi and the remaining competitors pulled away from the turn, Natsumi noticed that something didn't sound right about Keiichi's bike. She immediately jumped on her bike and headed towards the stands where Belldandy and the rest of the crew were viewing the race from.  
  
Near the end of the 1st lap, the course was passing along the oceanside. Another sharp turn coming up. Once again, Keiichi clips the turn, keeping close to Aoshima's driver and the frontrunner. As for the other three, one of them ends up turning too wide, going off the course into the sand and eventually stopping in the water. 5 left. The remaining 5 approach the end of the 1st lap.  
  
Announcer: "And here they come as they prepare to complete the first lap of this high tension race. It looks like Team Alpha in front, with both of Nekomi Tech's teams close by in 2nd and 3rd. Wow!"  
  
"Come on Keiichi! Go! Go!"  
  
Natsumi arrives at the site and sprints up to the stands where the girls and the team are at.  
  
"Huff…huff…" trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Natsumi, what's up?" Megumi asked.  
  
"I think (huff)… something's wrong (huff)…with (huff)…Keiichi's bike"  
  
"What!?"  
  
Skuld hears this as her lower lip begins to quiver. She couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Ahhh! It's all my fault. I couldn't warn him!!"  
  
"What do mean, Skuld?" Chihiro turned to look at Skuld.  
  
"I saw Aoshima do something to his bike!!"  
  
On the 2nd lap, only 4 of them, including Keiichi were left. Keiichi could feel the adrenaline and sweat building up as he took the final corner with the other remaining 3, heading into the last stretch as both he and Aoshima's driver pulled out neck and neck into the lead.  
  
Announcer: "Here they come they approach the final stretch of this race!!" Cheering heightens.  
  
(Keiichi to himself: "Come on! Come on! Just a little more, please!!")  
  
As Keiichi begins to pull ahead to 1st place, he begins to feel a rattling in the bike.  
  
"(Come on! Come on!)"  
  
Quickly, the rattling becomes worse until a part breaks loose, causing Keiichi's bike to go out of control.  
  
"(Hey! What's going on?! I can't control it. Come on!!)" In a panic, he tries to regain control of the bike but to no avail.  
  
Announcer: "Uh oh, it looks like Keiichi Morisato is in trouble as Formula One pulls out in front!!"  
  
"(Belldandy!! Help me!)"  
  
Belldandy could hear him calling out to her. "Keiichi!!"  
  
Everyone sped into the finishing line with Keiichi coming in 2nd place, but unable to control the bike to stop. He had one chance to dismount and roll to save himself. As Belldandy began to chant a spell to put up a barrier spell to protect Keiichi, a pulse of energy had already started to surround Keiichi as he dismounted. Someone apparently had beaten Belldandy to it. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough since Keiichi had rolled into a wall and the bike slide smashed into another wall far on the opposite side. Keiichi lay against the wall motionless.  
  
"Keiichi!!" Belldandy screamed as she jumped off the platform of the stands, running frantically with Megumi towards him, as paramedics arrived on the scene.  
  
"Miss! Please step back!" one of them tells Belldandy.  
  
"No please! He's my boyfriend!!"  
  
"He's my brother!!"  
  
Belldandy looked at Keiichi with fear in her eyes. "Oh Keiichi! Please say something!"  
  
The rest of the gang tries to break through to Keiichi, but are pushed away by the paramedics and security.  
  
"Everyone! Please clear the area!! Get back!"  
  
Skuld looks through the crowd. "No!! Keiichi! Get up! Please!!"  
  
"Keiichi…Keiichi…" was all that he could barely hear in his mind before collapsing.  
  
*****  
  
At the hospital, Belldandy is at Keiichi's bedside firmly grasping his hand, as he lay there motionless before her eyes. The rest of the crew is in the waiting room, sitting around in silence, waiting for any news on him. Skuld was in so much shock at this point that she just sat in a corner, her head buried between her knees.  
  
"I should never have had him do this!" Chihiro angrily said.  
  
"Chihiro, it's not your fault. Besides, Keiichi's one tough guy. He'll pull through this." Urd had tried to keep everyone calm and positive since they had gotten to the hospital. "Besides, I know he will because of one good reason that's beside him right now."  
  
Natsumi walked into the room.  
  
"What's up, Natsumi?" Chihiro turned and stood up to face Natsumi.  
  
"Hey, I've got a video tape from one of the cameras that was recorded before the race. Skuld, you had said you saw someone do something to Keiichi's bike before the race, right?" Skuld didn't answer. "Skuld?" She finally managed to nod, with her head still buried in her knees.  
  
Natsumi began to play the tape in the TV and VCR that was in the waiting room. The playback was of video footage over the team tents and the briefing area. In a corner of the screen, they could see the bikes left unattended in the briefing area as a figure approached Keiichi's bike. A few seconds later, another figure ran out from behind the tent, apparently chasing the other person.  
  
"Oh my god…Skuld? Please look at this. Skuld?" Natsumi walked over and managed to pick Skuld up, bringing her towards the TV.  
  
"Please, Skuld. Is this who you were talking about?"  
  
She couldn't answer and just starting crying.  
  
"It WAS him!! Why that dirty hypocrite!! After accusing us of cheating, he goes and does it himself to our little buddy!!" Tamiya yelled out. At this point, he and Ootaki were ready to kill Aoshima.  
  
"Easy guys. We'll deal with him later. Let's just hope that Keiichi's okay."  
  
*****  
  
The next morning:  
  
"They told us he'll be fine. They just have to make sure he doesn't have a concussion or anything serious. I'll call you later. Bye" Megumi hangs up the phone and walks back to the waiting room. Belldandy was there now, asleep on the couch.  
  
A few minutes later, a doctor enters the room.  
  
"Excuse me, Megumi Morisato?" he asks.  
  
"Yes, that's me. How is he?"  
  
"Well, he took a pretty nasty hit to the head. After checking the CT scans and everything, no abnormalities or damage so far. He's very lucky at this point, especially after an accident like that. Otherwise, just some bruises from when he hit the ground. We'll check on him again in a few hours."  
  
"Can we see him?"  
  
"Yes. But only a few of you at a time."  
  
"Megumi…Can I…come in with you?" Skuld had finally come to, although still pretty shaken up.  
  
Megumi and Skuld go into his room first. Skuld slowly stepped into the room behind Megumi as she approached Keiichi's bed. She took a seat at his bedside next to Megumi.  
  
"Hey, bro. It's your sister and Skuld. You're going to be just fine. We're all here…we're so proud of you, because we know you really won that race. You're also crazy for doing it, but we know why too. I guess that's why we didn't say anything." Pauses and lets out a breath. She managed to produce a smile.  
  
"Tell you what Kei. When we all get out of here, we will take that vacation with the girls like you wanted to. I'll take care of it."  
  
Skuld slowly reached for Keiichi's hand. "Um Megumi, can I have a second with him?"  
  
"Sure Skuld. I'll be right outside." Megumi gets up and makes her way to the door, taking one look at a concerned Skuld holding Keiichi's hand.  
  
"I'm so sorry. I wished I could've stopped this from happening. I know that I've always given you so much trouble when it came to my sister, but that's because I love her. But seeing you two together, I had never seen anything before that has made her as happy as she is with you. Now I know why. Now I know what you meant when you said this was for all of us…I know I've never told you this, but you've been like a big brother to me. And I'm glad that I'm here on Earth with everyone, with you. All of us have experienced so much, and yet, there's still much more out there to look forward to. We love you Kei."  
  
"Even though he isn't awake, I know that he can hear you." Belldandy was awake and had been listening at the door. She walks up behind Skuld, placing her hands on her shoulders.  
  
"He'll be alright, won't he Sis?"  
  
"Just have faith. And it'll reach him."  
  
As Skuld bowed her head down, staring at the floor, she could suddenly feel a twitching beneath her hand that was grasping Keiichi's.  
  
"Huh? Keiichi?"  
  
"Uuuungh…"  
  
Megumi immediately rushed back into the room.  
  
"Hey, bro! Can you hear me?"  
  
"Me…Megumi?" Keiichi slowly opened his eyes, with his vision slowly adjusting from the last bit of blurriness he had seen before he had collapsed.  
  
"Yeah. We're all here Kei."  
  
Belldandy rushed out the door to go get everyone else.  
  
"How ya feeling bro?"  
  
"Oww. My head feels like a really bad hangover and my body really hurts."  
  
"Yo, Morisato! What do ya think you're doing lying down at a time like this!"  
  
"Tamiya…and Ootaki?"  
  
"We're here, little buddy," Ootaki says waving at Keiichi.  
  
"Hey Kei."  
  
"Chihiro, you're here too?"  
  
"So am I sempai"  
  
"Sora…"  
  
Belldandy was the last to enter the room with the doctor. Keiichi then turned to face Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld.  
  
"Hello, Kei." Belldandy reached forward to touch his face. Keiichi smiled as Belldandy's soft hand caressed the paleness of his cheeks. He gently took her hand as he smiled and looked deep into her eyes.  
  
"Hey, Bell…"  
  
"You're okay!!" Skuld looked at Keiichi with such relief.  
  
"It's great to see you too Skuld, Urd…"  
  
The doctor had informed them than Keiichi would be just fine, and that it was a good thing that he didn't go into a coma or had any serious injuries. However, for the next few weeks, he would have to take it easy, especially with the headaches he would probably have for awhile as an after effect.  
  
All of them returned home within a few days. After showing the tape to Aoshima himself, Aoshima agreed to close his club, never to show his face in motor racing ever again. Thus, Whirlwind ended up absorbing the remains of Aoshima's now dissolved club, although they allowed him to keep his trophy, but with a reminder attached to it of what he had done.  
  
*****  
  
Back at the temple:  
  
"Thanks for calling to check on me, girls. I'm fine now. Still aching a little bit, but I'll be back racing before you know it."  
  
"(##You just take it easy for awhile, okay? Next time you're in Tokyo, give us a call, okay? Tell your parents hi for us.##)"  
  
"Thanks Miyuki. We will."  
  
"(##Oh hey, Kei-boy!!##)"  
  
"Natsumi? Hey!"  
  
"(##One more thing. Don't lose that little cutie, Belldandy, there. I know I didn't get to know her that much, but I know she's perfect for you.##)"  
  
"She sure is." Keiichi smiles as he looks towards her in the kitchen. At this point, he can't take his eyes off her as she smiles back at him.  
  
"(##Take care, Kei##)"  
  
"You too."  
  
That evening, everyone was sleeping peacefully in their beds, except for Keiichi, who sat on the porch admiring the stars in the sky. Skuld walked from around the corner and saw Keiichi propped back on his hands, gazing at the sky.  
  
"Hey, Kei."  
  
"Skuld, what're you doing up?"  
  
"I thought I heard someone out here."  
  
"Well, since you're up, have a seat."  
  
"It's okay. I just got up to see who was out here." Skuld pauses for a moment. "Keiichi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"…I just wanted to say thanks."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For being like a big brother to me. Just don't scare us all like that again. I know why you did this race, but you almost got killed because of it."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Keiichi jokingly replied.  
  
Keiichi stood up. "Come here…little sis." They embrace each other. "Now get some sleep. Okay?"  
  
"You too. You're supposed to be taking it easy."  
  
"I just have one thing to do before I turn in."  
  
Keiichi made a stop into Belldandy's room where she slept peacefully. He leaned over and swept a lock of her soft, delicate hair as he kissed her on the cheek. He noticed the ring he had given her on her right hand resting on her breasts. He moved to kiss her hand, as though he was directing this kiss straight to her heart. Closing the door behind him, Keiichi finally made his way to his room, getting settled for bed. As he looked at the picture of him and Belldandy at the beach during their first summer, he suddenly felt an image rush through his mind. For some reason, even for a brief moment, that image was clear and vivid to him.  
  
"(Huh? What was that? Did I just see Belldandy and me as little kids together? No, I can't be. I must be seeing things. Ha ha. I must've really hit my head hard when I crashed. Oh well.)"  
  
Keiichi pulled his blanket over him and soon after fell asleep, not knowing that what he had just seen was real. Not too long after, a mysterious figure of a woman entered Keiichi's room and knelt next to him as he quietly slept.  
  
"It is real Keiichi Morisato. Now I know why Belldandy likes you so much. And yet, you interest me even more every time I see you. You're not like other humans. Hmmm.. Maybe you'll meet me someday soon. Until then, sweet dreams."  
  
The mysterious woman begins to walk towards the door as she produces a red rose in her hand, allowing it to drop to the floor as she disappears into the night.  
  
  
  
End of Chapter/Episode 6  
  
Writer's notes:  
  
All characters of Oh My Goddess! (c) Kosuke Fujishima and used without permission.  
  
Natsumi and Miyuki of You're Under Arrest © Kosuke Fujishima and used without permission.  
  
(*) - For those of you who have seen the movie, remember that the virus that crashed the Yggdrasil system? It had wiped out Keiichi's wish, thus allowing him to be granted a new one. And of course, we all know what it is.  
  
- This was a lot more difficult for me to write, since I kept contemplating plot lines carefully so that they would tie in to later chapters, but I finally managed to finish it. Also, it's obvious that I don't know very much about motor mechanics, but please work with me here. Hopefully you guys liked it and the other chapters won't take so long to do. I will be taking a break to begin writing a fanfic for Pokemon since it is my other favorite anime series. Keep an eye out for Chapter 7 in the near future – Awkward Moments.  
  
- Did you figure out who the woman at the end was? For those of you who read the manga and watch the anime, you should know. That clue at the end should give it away. She'll reveal herself in a later chapter. Also, since I really liked Kosuke Fujishima's You're Under Arrest, I thought it would be interesting to introduce them as guests in this fanfiction chapter as old (and older) friends of Keiichi and Megumi.  
  
- Remember that this is based on the OAV and movie anime storyline, with these chapters being my depiction of continuing events after the movie. 


	2. Chapter Episode 7 Awkward Moments

After several months of a busy schedule and writer's block, I've managed to write another chapter to my story set. I hope you guys like it.

Note: "(words like this)" – thoughts to self.

Episode/Chapter 7 – Awkward Moments

It's been about a week since the racing accident. For the most part, Keiichi is well rested and recovered now. Today, he's been taking some time to look at the schematics for when Skuld built Banpei. After all, he did promise to help her fix him. Deep in concentration and scribbling down calculation notes, he is interrupted by Megumi.

"Hey bro! Whatcha workin' on?"

"Oh this? I'm trying to help Skuld fix Banpei."

"Banpei?.. Oh her robot. What's wrong with it?"

"It looks like the virus wiped out his entire system, so now we're stuck reconfiguring everything from scratch. This is gonna take awhile to do"

"What about the pictures?"

"Pictures?…Oh, I completely forgot. The camera!"

"I have it with me" Megumi opens a small black bag with an SLR camera, several lenses, and lots of film.

"Thanks Meg." Keiichi attaches a lens to the camera and begins pointing it around.

"No problem, Kei. Just hang on to it for a while. I don't have any use for it right now anyway…By the way, do you remember little Sentarou?"

"Sentarou? Yeah! We haven't seen him in awhile. How's he doing?"

"I just talked to his mom this morning. It looks like he'll be starting school at Nekomi Tech this fall."

"Huh? Isn't he a little young to start college?"

"Well, he's 17 now, and he graduated a year early with top honors in his class, so they're letting him start here early. I told him about the Motor Club and he already wants to join."

"Wow! That's great for him. I just hope he'll be alright."

"Well, he's still a little bit shy, but I'm sure Belldandy, the girls, and I can take care of that."

"Actually, I was referring to Tamiya and Ootaki. You remember what happened last semester."

"I'm sure Chihiro will take care of those two. He'll be on campus this week for the orientation, and I already told him about the Motor Club meeting for incoming freshman"

"Great! It'll be good to see him there."

Megumi glances at her watch. "Oh, I've gotta get going. I'm going back home for a few days to pick up some stuff. You need anything?"

"Uh yeah. There are a few small boxes in my room with some equipment that I need."

Megumi gives a sarcastic smile. "Anything else?"

"Well, you asked. But that should be it though." Keiichi responded.

"Alright. I'll see you next week then." Megumi waves as she exits.

Keiichi momentarily stood up and stretched before returning to his work, only to take breaks for dinner and for tea that evening, while taking in the cool air of a perfect summer night.

"It must be nice that your friend is starting school with us this fall." Belldandy says as she pours the tea.

"So what's his name?" Urd asks.

"Sentarou. He's really shy, but very smart." Keiichi takes a sip of his tea.

"Oh, I'm sure I can fix that. Especially since we know someone who used to be like that." Urd slyly looks at Keiichi.

"Ah hah hah…Anyways, he's already wanting to join the Motor Club this fall."

"Oh, that's wonderful! Is he wanting to race like you?"

"He's more of the construction and design type. Also, he's very good with computer programming."

"Hmm. Maybe Skuld could learn something from him." Urd comments.

Skuld's eyes are rolled upwards. "Don't mess with me Urd."

"Hey, don't need to be so sensitive."

"Oh yeah, why don't you try fixing Banpei?"

"Why would I want to? He doesn't really do anything."

"Hey, take that back!"

"Girls, easy. We've still a lot of work to do." Keiichi takes the last sip of his tea. "Thanks Bell."

Belldandy smiles. Keiichi and Skuld get up and head back to their rooms to continue their project. Urd looks at Keiichi as he heads back to his room as Belldandy begins to clean up.

"Always devoted to everyone and everything. Well, he looks like he's fully recovered from the race." Urd turns and looks at Belldandy. "You know sis, you don't have to be afraid to express your love for him more closely."

"Oh I know. I guess I just want to be sure that he feels the same way I do."

"Bell, Keiichi loves you…I'm just saying that you two know how you feel about each other, and you need to do something… soon." Urd turns away and bows her head in sadness. "Because you never know what could happen and you may never have to chance to tell each other." Urd exits and goes to her room.(**)

As Keiichi continued to work non-stop at his desk through the night, he eventually could no longer keep his eyes open and fell asleep at his desk. 2:00 a.m. Suddenly, a figure of a woman crouched next to Keiichi who was still sound asleep at his desk. She had soft hazel eyes, shoulder length dark brown hair, and wore a white dress with white gloves, tan leather boots and broad shoulder and waist halter belts.(*) The most distinguishing feature of her was the diamond shaped marks on her forehead and cheeks. As her face moved closer to him, her eyes filled with infatuation and wonder took note of Keiichi's face as he lay there peacefully. She slowly closed her eyes and puckered her lips to blow a soft caressing kiss onto Keiichi. As she opened her eyes, she was interrupted by footsteps coming from down the hallway and quickly hid behind one of the bookshelves in Keiichi's room.

Belldandy found Keiichi completely out at his desk. With the help of her magic , she gently lifted him up and moved him to his bed to tuck him in.

As she pulled the blanket over him, she softly said, "Good night Keiichi. Sweet dreams." She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. Belldandy turned the light off at Keiichi's desk and closed the door behind her. With only the moonlight peering through the window, the mysterious woman glanced at Keiichi and said to herself:

"There's just something about you that's so intriguing." She sighs. "I really want to meet you…and I will…tomorrow. Good night from me too Keiichi. From Peorth. I'll see you tomorrow." With those words Peorth disappeared again into the night.

*****

As the morning sun's rays shined into his room, Keiichi was slowly awakened with an enveloping warmness. His mind felt completely blank as his late night work had completely drained his energy. Slowly climbing out of his futon, he began to collect himself to prepare for another busy day. Only today, it would be the Motor Club meeting at the University, and catching up with Sentarou. As Keiichi opened the door into the hallway, he could hear the hum of a familiar tune. Keiichi walked down the hall to Belldandy's room, where her door was left slightly open. As he peered into her doorway, he was surprised at what he saw. Belldandy was still in her night outfit, but with a dangerous amount of her body showing. Keiichi soon felt his face turning warm and flush from embarrassment for even staring at her like this, yet could not stop thinking to himself how beautiful and graceful she looked at this moment.

"Uh, Bell…" Keiichi shyly said. 

"Hmm? Oh!" She quickly covered herself back up partially, but not without blushing and letting out an innocent giggle. "Good morning Keiichi!" she says as she smiles at him. Keiichi is somewhat looking away, trying to respectfully not stare at her.

"Sorry, Bell…"

"Enjoying the view, Keiichi?" a voice said from behind him.

In an instantaneous reaction, he turned around, not knowing that he was still right next to the door and ended up hitting the side of his head on the door. Falling to the ground, he held his head and opened his eyes briefly to see Urd standing over him, arms crossed and displaying a smile of amusement over Keiichi's clumsiness. 

"Oh, Keiichi are you alright?!" Belldandy says as she rushes over to Keiichi as her nightgown begins to fall off. Still holding the side of his head, Keiichi managed to prop himself back up until Belldandy was at his side, cradling him in her arms.

"Oww…" Keiichi opened his eyes and found himself staring at Belldandy's breasts, but then slowly looking upward directly into her deep blue eyes. Belldandy reached with her free hand over to where Keiichi had hit his head. Keiichi was suddenly frozen with tension. He had never seen Belldandy like this before, and didn't know what to do, especially with Urd standing right there as well, enjoying his little mishap. Keiichi quickly picked himself up, still flush red.

"Uh, I'm okay. I'll see you in a little bit." he makes out the door this time.

"Well, sis, showing a different side of us this morning to Keiichi?" she pauses and laughs to herself for a moment. "He's never seen you naked before, has he?"

"Well, no…" Belldandy shyly replied. The situation was a little embarrassing to her as well, but in a way, she didn't seem to mind that Keiichi saw her like this.

"You don't need to be so shy with him Bell. After all, you two have lived together for 3 years now."

Skuld walks by hearing this conversation. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Little Kei boy had an accident with the door." Urd says.

Skuld looked at Urd, then Belldandy, noticing that she was practically naked.

"Ahh! He was peeping in on you, wasn't he?!" Skuld immediately stormed towards Keiichi's room. "Come here you pervert!"

"Ahh, Skuld wait! I can explain! Aiieeee!"

Urd sighs as she shakes her head. "That kid will never understand."

After recovering from Skuld's pummeling, Keiichi managed to get washed up and dressed to help start repairing Banpei with Skuld this morning, before going to today's Motor Club meeting for the orientation. Wrenches, screwdrivers, blueprints, wires, and circuit boards were strewn right outside of the temple with Banpei at this point a statue like figure standing over all of his parts.

"Keiichi, could you hand me the circuit board next to you…" Skuld said as she reached her hand around Banpei towards Keiichi.

"Let's see, here you go." Keiichi then looks at his calculations as he begins to go off into a daydream. 

******

_He imaged Belldandy in the same outfit that he had seen her in this morning._

_"Oh Keiichi..." Belldandy wraps her arms around him._

_"Belldandy..." Keiichi nervously leans forward to kiss her. She squeezes him tighter to her, being taken in by this feeling.Images of their arms around each other kissing passionately._

_Keiichi begins to maneuver his hands to undo her nightgown. She could feel his hands trembling as he touched her, until she guided his hands to slowly unbutton her top. He begins to slowly slip off her night gown..._

******

"Hey, Keiichi!" Skuld exclaims.

"Huh?! Yes Bell...uh, I mean Skuld?

"Stop goofing around. We're never gonna get done if you keep doing that." Skuld yells at him.

A few hours later, they take a break to sit down for lunch. Belldandy and Keiichi cannot look at each other without blushing. Skuld sees this and starts to get annoyed.

"Alright you two. What's going on here? You both have been acting strange today." she says as she props herself over the table looking at both of them.

"Nothing." Keiichi and Belldandy say at the same time.

Keiichi freezes momentarily to think of a way to change the subject quickly.

"Well, we've finished Banpei for the most part. We just have to rewrite some modules of his main program." 

"Oh, Kei! I just got a message from Tamiya. He said that the meeting with the new members this afternoon will be in the Engineering Building where you guys have Kakuta's class." Belldandy tells him.

"Oh thanks Bell. I guess we'll get ready to go when we're finished."

"Hey! What about Banpei?!" Skuld interrupted.

"Um, I can help you out more this evening when we get back."

"Hmm…Actually, I'm coming with you guys. I need a break anyways."

"Right, Skuld whatever. You're just going to keep on eye on Bell and Kei." Urd implied.

"Hey, I've been working just as hard as Kei on this."

"It's okay Urd. Actually, you want to come with us too? "

"I'll pass. Besides my soap opera's on in about an hour anyways."

"Oh yeah, you'll get to meet Sentarou. He's really shy, but a nice kid. Actually, he's around your age Skuld…"

"Not interested." Skuld quickly responds.

"Oh no, I wasn't implying anything Skuld."

"Besides, you're a little young for a boyfriend squirt." Urd says.

"What do you know?!" Skuld scowls at Urd.

"Um Kei, didn't you say he was good with computer programming?" Belldandy asked.

"That's right. Maybe if he doesn't mind, he can help us out with Banpei, and he'll get a chance to meet everyone."

"Hello?" a voice from outside said. Belldandy apparently recognizing the voice stood up and ran to the front door..

Belldandy shrieked in surprise. "Peorth! "

"Hi Bell! It's been awhile." Peorth stepped up to Belldandy

"How're you? So what brings you here?"

"I stopped by to say hello to all of you."

"Oh, we have company." Keiichi walks out to them while Urd and Skuld remain in the doorway.

Peorth's attention immediately turned to Keiichi. "And you must be the Keiichi I've heard so much about."

"Hello. And you are…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Allow me to make a formal introduction Mr. Morisato." Peorth takes a bow. In a graceful motion, she steps back and twirls, producing a red rose in her hand, bringing it into a presentation across her face. "I am Peorth of the Roses, First Class goddess, and administrator of Yggdrasil…for you." Peorth hands the rose to Keiichi, who reluctantly takes it.

"Uh, thank you. It's very nice to meet you Peorth. Uh, so you're a goddess too."

"Yes, that's right." Peorth says as she brushes the hair back on the side of her head. 

"She's certainly full of herself." Skuld whispers to Urd.

"Sometimes that's an understatement. You haven't been around her long enough." Urd leans over to quietly respond to Skuld.

Peorth notices Skuld and Urd at the doorway watching her. "Oh hi Urd! Skuld!"

"Long time, Peorth. So how's everything with Yggdrasil?"

"Oh, we have everything back up and running now. We really appreciated all the help you gave us."

"Hey, there's no job that Urd can't handle." Urd replies. However, Peorth's attention shifted back to Keiichi.

"So, tell me a little about yourself Keiichi. You know you're quite the hero for what you did a few months back…"

Urd is closely observing Peorth as this conversation between Keiichi, Belldandy, and Peorth continues. "Hmmm…"

"What is it?" Skuld asks.

"Peorth. She's up to something. Maybe I'd better go along. I'll just have the VCR record it."

"It must be serious if you're willing to miss your show."

"We were just on our way to the school. You're more than welcome to join us." Belldandy said to Peorth.

"A university. It would be a pleasure to see where Keiichi attends classes. Well then, shall we?"

*******

Keiichi and Belldandy arrive at campus first by motorcycle, with Urd, Skuld, and Peorth each using their own modes of transportation to get there. Keiichi and Belldandy decide to head towards the fountain in the center square of campus to wait for the others.

"Peorth seems very confident and energetic." Keiichi as they sat down on the edge of the fountain.

"She helped me out a lot when I was in training."

"So, you two go back a long ways."

"Mmm hmm."

Belldandy paused and reflected on what Urd had said earlier. Turning to Keiichi with a look of concern, she knows that she just had to ask.

"Keiichi, there's something that I have to ask you…so many things have happened since we've been together. I'm scared that all I'll do is hurt you. After all of this, is this still what you want? Even if more things could come between us?"

"Of course it is. It's because of everything that's happened is why my life is so wonderful, and I wouldn't have it any other way. No matter what comes between us, I know this…the way I feel about you will never change. There is one thing though…"

Belldandy suddenly froze, expecting to hear the worst.

"Stop apologizing for everything." Keiichi says as he smiles. "You're not responsible for other people's actions. Okay?"

"I'm sorry" Belldandy responded. Immediately they started laughing after what Keiichi had just said.

During this conversation, Peorth was sitting on the other side of the fountain observing this moment between the two lovebirds, constantly focused on Keiichi.

"Hey Peorth! How did you get here so fast?!" Urd yelled from a distance. She had seen Peorth standing close by Keiichi and Belldandy. The two turned around to find Peorth sitting on the opposite side.

"Well, uh… I have my own ways."

All of them had arrived on campus and met up around the fountain in the central quad.

"Everyone, I need to go to the Engineering School Office to pick up some stuff for the meeting. I'll meet you at the room in a little bit." Keiichi says. As he turns to begin walking to the office, he felt someone grab his arm.

"Wait, Keiichi! Can I come with you? This is my first visit to your university. Maybe you can show me around a little bit?"

"Um, alright. We've got about 15 minutes before the meeting starts. I can give you a brief tour."

"Great! Let's go!" Peorth starts running dragging Keiichi along with her.

"Hey wait Peorth! Wrong way!! Aaaah!" Keiichi yells out as they disappear in the distance.

"Well then, we'd better get over there. Belldandy?" Urd says. Belldandy had seemed distracted for some reason.

"Belldandy?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, we should go."

As the three of them started walking, there was a panicked voice yelling from a distance. A boy was frantically dodging everyone and jumping over every possible obstacle as he sped through on his bicycle. He looked to be about an older teen, slender with medium length black, somewhat spiky styled hair.

"Whoa, look out! 'scuse me!! Oh man! I'm gonna be late!!" the boy said to himself as he sped towards the girls' direction. As he passed by them in what seemed almost like a blur, he caught a glimpse of the youngest of the goddesses, Skuld. His concentration suddenly shifted as he kept staring, as he couldn't help but look at her. At the same time, Skuld found herself locked in this curious stare as well. Skuld's eyes widened as she saw the boy not looking ahead and about to crash into one of the benches.

"Look out!" Skuld screamed out.

"Huh?!" the boy turned around looking forward to find himself only a few feet from one of the benches. In a quick reaction, he manages to jump onto the bench with his bike, but ends up losing his balance and falling off since he had landed and slipped off the front edge of the bench. He had landed on his side and lied there without any movement for a few seconds. Skuld immediately rushed over to check on him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Skuld kneeled down to take a closer look at him.

"(Groans)…ow." He looks up to see Skuld only about a foot away from him. He suddenly began to blush with embarrassment, and quickly gathers himself together to escape.

"Uh yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. Heh, heh, I've gotta go!!" he nervously replied as he runs over to pick up his bike and takes off again. Skuld stood up and watched him as he sped off.

"Well, I never thought you would cause some heads to turn." Urd comments.

Skuld snapped out of it responding: "Huh? What are you talking about?!"

"And it looks like you seemed to enjoy it too."

"Hey, I was just worried that he might be hurt!" 

"I see. Does that explain why your face is so red right now?" slyly responded with a big grin.

"What? It is not! Shut up!"

*******

Meanwhile:

"Over there is the electrical engineering building. And if we go down this way, we'll run into the Auto Club at the corner." Keiichi was showing Peorth around some areas of the NIT campus as they headed for the Physics building where the meeting was supposed to be held at. Yet, Keiichi felt a little nervous, since Peorth was hanging onto his remaining arm as they walked, since he was carrying papers and a bound notebook, all of which was for the meeting.

"This is very nice Keiichi…"

To herself: "(Such a gentleman, and very cute too…)"

"Hmm?"

"Oh nothing."

"So Peorth, what's it like working up in Yggdrasil? It's gotta be a lot of hard work from what the girls tell me."

"Running the mainframe takes up so much time. I know how important it is, but…" she pauses and sighs "I just wish I had the chance like Urd, Skuld, and Belldandy to do the things they've been able to do. Living down here with you…"

"Well, tell you what. When you do have a vacation, you're more than welcome to come visit and stay with us anytime. I'm sure the girls would love it, especially Belldandy."

"Well thank you Keiichi."

"No problem. So…you and Belldandy go back a ways right?"

Peorth for a moment didn't answer, since she was hoping that he would ask a little more about her specifically.

"Yes, we do. When we first received our licenses, we were both assigned to the Goddess Technical Help line."

"So you had the same job as Belldandy?"

"That's right. We worked together for a long time. Granting wishes to people in need. At one point we were both offered the chance to become the system administrator, it just depended on who wanted it more…Belldandy says she turned it down because she enjoyed what she was already doing. In a way, I don't blame her. She's always been the type who always wants people she cares about to be happy, and will do anything she can to make it happen." 

"Oh, here we go. The Physics building. Room 206 is where we're going."

*******

Everyone was gathered in the lecture hall and talking among themselves waiting for the meeting to start. As Keiichi and Peorth entered the room, Peorth was still hanging onto his arm. Keiichi stopped before approaching the front of the room.

"Uh, Peorth. Could you let go of my arm please?"

"Hmm? Oh of course. He he."

"Hmm…I'd better keep an eye on her." Urd said.

Belldandy turned around towards Urd. "Oh there he is!"

"Looks like I'm right on schedule." Keiichi says as he looks around. "I don't see Sentarou though…" Suddenly, they're interrupted by someone running into the room out of breath.

"(Huff, huff) Sorry…I'm late Keiichi." The boy says.

"Actually, you're just in time, Sentarou. It's good to see you."

"(Huh?! He's Sentarou?!)" Skuld says in shock.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"I got a little bit lost and sort of had an accident…" Sentarou noticed Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld behind them.

"Oh, uh hi…"

"It's very nice to meet you Sentarou. I'm Belldandy" Belldandy extended a warm greeting to him.

"Uh hi, Miss Belldandy."

"I'm Urd."

"Hello."

"Peorth." She looked over Sentarou, making him more nervous than he already was. She smiled as she commented, "My, such a cute face."

"Uh, thanks."

Skuld walked up from behind Urd to Sentarou. "I'm Skuld."

"Uh, hi Skuld." Sentarou could feel himself blushing again as she smiled at him. He was speechless as he wasn't quite sure of what to say.

The meeting began shortly after with Keiichi telling the new incoming students about the Motor Club and what they could look forward to. During the next 15 minutes, everyone had a eye on someone. Peorth could not take her eyes off Keiichi, Urd was watching Peorth closely, Skuld would occasionally glance over at Sentarou, while he was a bit nervous as he saw Skuld looking at him, and Belldandy sat peacefully nearby as she watched Keiichi give his presentation.

"Well, that actually went well. I was a little bit nervous about doing this since Chihiro usually does this."

"You did wonderful, Keiichi. I have a good feeling that many of these new students will want to become part of this experience." Belldandy assured him.

"I thought that speech was wonderful Keiichi" Peorth added.

"I must say Kei, you're getting pretty good at this." Urd said as she sat up on the professor's table.

"Thanks everyone. Well, I guess we can all head home then. Where's Sentarou?"

"Heh heh. I think the little squirt's scaring him." Urd replied as she looked towards Skuld and Sentarou's direction.

"Hey, Sentarou. You're not busy for the rest of the day are you?"

Sentarou quickly turned to Keiichi's direction, feeling a bit relieved. "Well, not that I can think of. Why?"

"We were wondering if you wanted to come over to our place for today."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Come on, Sentarou! It'll be lots of fun!" Skuld excitedly begged him.

"Uh, sure. Okay."

"Well, let's go everyone." Keiichi says.

*******

Back at the temple, Keiichi was showing Sentarou around while Belldandy was already starting to prepare dinner. Eventually they came to Skuld's room where Banpei was moved after this morning's progress.

"Hey, what's this?" Sentarou immediately ran over to Banpei and examined him. "Hey, this looks cool."

"Oh yeah, I was wondering if you could help us out with something…Skuld and I are having problems with him."

"What's wrong with it?"

"The stupid virus erased all the program modules, and we had to start all over. Neither Kei or I can figure out what we're doing wrong." Skuld had entered right behind Keiichi and kneeled down next to Sentarou and Banpei.

"This certainly was a lot easier when I first built him." Skuld sighed.

"You built this robot? Wow, I'm very impressed. Hmmm? Do you have a printout of the program modules you tried to write?"

"Yeah, right here." Skuld picks up a small stack of papers from behind Banpei and hands it to Sentarou. He quickly scans over the computer code and flips through several pages in a matter of seconds.

"Here's part of the problem. These lines would have him repeatedly doing this command until his system crashes."(**)

"Wow, that's great. How did you figure it out so fast?" Keiichi asked as he looked over.

"This looks similar to a project I started working on."

"Sentarou, I was wondering if you could help me with fixing him?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm very interested to see how you built him too." Sentarou replied. He noticed that he was gradually becoming more relaxed around Skuld. With a big smile, he turns to Skuld. "Let's get started then."

"O-kay." Skuld happily responded.

As Skuld and Sentarou immediately started working away at Banpei, Keiichi decided to take a walk down the hall. Coming to his room, he remembered that there was a notebook that he forgot to give to Skuld. As he entered, something immediately caught him by surprise. Peorth was in there.

"Oh, hi Peorth."

"Hi, Keiichi. You need help with something?" Peorth suggestively says as she gives him a flirtatious look."

"Uhhh. Yeah, I needed Skuld's notebook." He felt his heart racing as she handed him the notebook, still giving him that look.

"Tell me, Keiichi. Do you think I'm beautiful?" Peorth lifted her arms, apparently striking a sexy pose with her hands in her hair.

"Uh, yes. Very beautiful. (Gulp)"

"I'm glad to hear that." She started to walk closer to him, while he was getting backed up closer to the door.

"That's good. Uh, thanks Peorth." Keiichi managed to slip out the door.

To himself: "(Whew. That was scary. I need to do something about her.)"

It wasn't any easier for Keiichi at dinner, as Peorth had conveniently sat herself next to Keiichi, with Belldandy next to him as well. Skuld and Sentarou were certainly getting along well, while Keiichi attempted to keep his composure.

"Keiichi. You know what? I haven't seen Megumi yet. Is she coming by at all this evening?" Sentarou asked.

"Actually, she went home for a few days. But she'll be back this weekend…so how's everything going with Banpei?"

"Almost finished."

"Yeah, Sentarou's been a big help."

"We really appreciate you helping us. And I'm glad that we've had a chance to catch up."

"You're more than welcome to come visit us anytime, Sentarou." Belldandy added.

"One thing's for sure. It never gets boring around here." Urd said.

"It's always nice when we have company stop by…Yikes!" Keiichi yelled out.

"What's the matter?" Sentarou asked with a puzzled look.

"Uh nothing. I'm fine." Urd immediately looked over at Peorth, who apparently had reached over and "grabbed" Keiichi.

After finishing with dinner, Keiichi decided to go ahead and take his bath. Being taken in by the relaxing sensation, he lied back against the edge and closed his eyes. He thought to himself about what he should do about Peorth. Then his thoughts shifted to what happened this morning. From what he saw of Belldandy, she looked so graceful, especially with the smile that complimented her natural beauty. Yet, he was still trying to refrain from any inappropriate thoughts. As he let out a sigh, he felt two hands begin to massage his shoulders, which felt so relaxing. He could feel the tension being released…until realizing that Belldandy does not do anything like this. He opened his eyes and turned around to immediately find Peorth only inches away from his face.

"Aaaah! Wh-wh-what are you doing?" Keiichi gasped as he clammered to the other side of the bathtub.

"I just wanted to give you a massage."

"That's not uh, really necessary." Keiichi was trying not to stare at her since she was completely naked. Peorth slowly approached closer to him, trapping him in the corner.

"Come on. You're tense. You'll feel so much better." She said as she started to climb over into the tub.

"Really, it's okay. I…"

"What's going on in here?" Urd opened the door to see Peorth standing over Keiichi.

"Urd! Help me!"

"Come on, Peorth. Leave him alone. He's had a long day."

"Okay. I'll leave." Peorth wrapped herself in a towel and exited, but not without brushing shoulders with Urd, relaying her disgust with her for interfering.

"Well now Keiichi. It's just you and me…" Urd began to move towards him.

Keiichi's eyes immediately bug out. "Wah! Not you too Urd!"

Urd stopped as she was only inches away from Keiichi, almost at the same position that Peorth was at. "Ha ha ha! Gotcha!…Now come on, hurry up so I can take my bath."

After surviving that little incident, Keiichi at least had a chance to spend the evening with Belldandy, since he had been so busy with helping Skuld.

"I didn't realize that Peorth was causing you so much trouble Kei." Belldandy said as she was undoing her hair, allowing it to fall down her shoulders and back.

"I'm sorry that I didn't mention it earlier. It's just that I didn't think anything of her actions until this evening."

"I guess maybe I should've warned you about her…" Belldandy responds with a giggle.

Keiichi let off a laugh to somewhat relieve himself as well. "Um, Belldandy, you don't mind if I stay in here with you for awhile, do you?"

"No, of course not." Belldandy was getting ready to change into her nightgown.

"Oh sorry. I can leave for a little bit." Keiichi stood up and began to approach the door.

"No, it's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't mind, Kei. Please stay."

"Uh, okay. Well, let me turn around at least." Keiichi sat back down facing towards the wall. Soon he started thinking about what happened this morning, and fell into a daze while he waited patiently. Belldandy was starting to slip into her nightgown when she paused and looked over at Keiichi. She slowly got up and approached Keiichi. As she began to kneel down right behind him, she wrapped her arms around him with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Keiichi?"

"Huh? Bell?" Keiichi slowly turned around, and found himself gazing deep into Belldandy's eyes. That's all it took for him to be entranced by her. Those crystal blues. She reached for his hand, and proceeded to place it upon her chest. As she guided his hand downwards, their hearts began to race as their lips moved closer to each other.

"Kei…" she whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Bell. I, I…"

"Whoa!! (Crash!!)…Ouch!" Peorth stumbled into the doorway. "I think I tripped on one of Skuld's toys…Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt you two."

"Are you okay?" Keiichi asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for asking, Kei. Hee hee."

"Hey, Keiichi!" Sentarou called out. He started to pass the doorway when he spotted him. "Oh, there you are. Hey listen, I need to get home so my mom doesn't worry."

"Oh, that's no problem. You're more than welcome to come by tomorrow if you like."

"Yeah, that'd be great." Sentarou then turned to look at Peorth. "Oh hi again."

"Hello." Peorth said to him.

"Hey, I heard a crash out here. Are you okay?"

"I think she said that Skuld left something out there."

"Huh?" Sentarou stepped back into the hallway and looked around. "I don't see anything."

"Oh, heh heh, I took care of it already." Peorth frantically responded.

"Hmm…Anyways, thank you again for inviting me over. Bye everyone!" Sentarou headed back to Skuld's room to pick up his stuff to head out.

"This was a lot of fun Skuld, but I've gotta get home, or my mom will kill me."

"Well, can I at least walk outside with you?"

As Sentarou and Skuld stepped outside, they began to head for the side of the temple where he had left his bike.

"Do you mind if I ask…but, what is that mallet for that you always carry?"

"Oh this? This is my bug-squasher!" she excitedly said as she pulls her mallet from her back.

"Something that big?"

"Well, you need it for the types of bugs that I see."

"I guess they must be big ones." Sentarou says as he starts to get on his bicycle.

"Yeah, and they're ugly too. Yuck!"

"Ha ha…Well, I guess I'd better get going." Sentarou begins to places one foot down on a pedal.

"Wait!! Are you coming over tomorrow?"

"Well, I don't know."

"You have to. I have more stuff I want to show you. Plus, we haven't tested out Banpei yet."

"Hey, that's right. Well, okay. Yeah, I'll definitely come over tomorrow then. It's a date then." Sentarou jokingly said until he froze for a second, realizing what he just said. He hoped that she wouldn't take that comment the wrong way.

"Great! Just be sure you don't crash into any park benches before then." 

"Oh! Ha ha! I'll be sure to remember that." Sentarou smiles back at her. As he starts to ride off, Skuld waves at him until he disappears out of the gate. Before walking back inside, she decided to stay outside to take in the cool summer night's air.

"(That was a lot of fun. He really knows what he's doing)." Skuld lied back onto the porch, staring upwards into the sky. She took a deep breath as she felt her mind clear of all the tension that had built up the past few days. It seemed a lot easier to do this time. 

"Aaaah…(but why do I feel strange around him though?)" she thought to herself until she suddenly jumped up. "No way. I can't like him. Nope. Not possible… Is it?" She sighs. "I can't let anyone find out about this. Maybe I can ask Belldandy at least. She'll know what to do. That's it. And it can be our little secret, too."

Back inside:

"Belldandy, I need to get back tomorrow morning, since one of the assistants is covering me. I wish I could stay longer. And believe me, I really do."

"Listen, I'll let you two talk for a little while. I should get some sleep since I've been up the past few nights."

"Okay. Good night, Kei."

"Good night, Bell." Keiichi stood at the doorway and sweetly smiled at her as he closed the door behind him.

"(Why am I so nervous? I've never seen Bell like this before. This is what I want though, isn't it? But is she doing it because this is what she wants too? One thing's for sure. I haven't been fair to her. I wanna tell her, yet it seems like something always stops me from doing it.)"

"Peorth, I'm really glad that you like Keiichi, but some of your behavior is making him uncomfortable."

"I apologize Bell. I didn't realize that I causing him so much distress. I guess I got so caught up in wanting to find out more about him. From what I've seen, it's no wonder you're so taken with Keiichi. He's sweet, smart, and a gentleman too."

"That's why he has such a good heart." 

2:00 a.m. Everyone was sound asleep in their rooms. Keiichi was completely out from the exhaustion from the result of the late nights he had put in. Soon he began to dream about Belldandy again. 

******

_Her long flowing hair and crystal blue eyes were fixed on him with desire and passion as she forced herself onto him, embracing him into a deep passionate kiss that flowed through his entire body, allowing this feeling to overcome him and give in to her. As they released from each other's lips, Keiichi opened his eyes to see Peorth looking at him._

"Keiichi…my love…" 

******

In a quick shock reaction, Keiichi immediately woke up and felt someone lying on top of him. He found himself looking upward directly at Peorth.

"Huh? Peorth?! What are you doing here?" Keiichi was trying to move but was pinned underneath his blanket by her.

"Keiichi…I'm sorry. I just can't help it." She whispered. "I really like you. Ever since Belldandy has told me so much about you, I've really wanted to meet you. Especially when I saw you at the race."

"The race? What?! The race in Tokyo? You were there?"

"…Yes. When I was wanting to pay Belldandy a visit, I found out that all of you were in Tokyo since you were participating in a motorcycle race. You would've met me earlier, but because of what happened to you, I didn't think that was a good time to visit. And I felt terrible that I didn't help you enough."

"Belldandy said the exact same thing." Keiichi said. 

"It turns out that we both used a barrier spell at the same time when you dismounted. If we wouldn't have both used it, you probably wouldn't have made it."

"You both saved my life. I had no idea." Peorth began to gaze deeply into his eyes.

"Keiichi, I care about you a lot. I know you don't know me that well, but I really like you." She placed one hand on his face, caressing his cheek. 

"Please…let me steal just one sweet kiss from you." she softly whispered. Peorth closed her eyes as she moved closer to him. Keiichi closed his eyes squinting to brace himself for what he was about to say. Being in the position he was in did not make this any easier, knowing that he had to be true to his heart and that this would hurt Peorth.

"Peorth…I'm very flattered. But I'm sorry. I love Belldandy with all of my heart. Even though she first came here because of a wish I made, she means more to me than anything I could ever imagine. My heart belongs to her." Peorth pulled away and looked downwards hiding her face. Some feelings of rejection but guilt as well began to build up within her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but that's the truth. I hope you can understand…Peorth?" Keiichi sat up and reached over to her. She sniffled but quickly shook it off and looked up at him, trying to smile. 

"What am I doing? I can't do this to her or to you." she sniffled as she wiped her tears away. "Belldandy is a wonderful goddess and my friend, you're a wonderful guy and you both love each other."

"I would do anything for her, even if I would have to search for my entire lifetime to find her. Even if more difficult times await us, I'll fight them to be with her. Because I know that she's the only one I want, the one I want to fall in love with forever."

"And your heart proves that…"

"Peorth, what I said before when you asked if I thought you were beautiful, I meant it."

"Keiichi, you're nice. Really, you don't have to cheer me up."

"It's true. I didn't tell you this yet, but I noticed that when we were walking around the university today, you caught a lot of guys' attention. Peorth, from everything I've already found out about you, I can say this: the guy that finds you will be a very lucky one. You're beautiful, smart, and very nice."

"(sniffles) Thank you Keiichi." she pauses to recollect herself. "…You know, there aren't very many people in the world like you. I guess I got caught up in wanting the same thing that Belldandy has that has made her so happy. I hope that if I have a chance, I can find someone with as good a heart as you…at least let me give you this." Peorth leaned over and kissed Keiichi on the forehead. "Thank you."

During this entire time, neither of them realized that Urd was still awake and watching this from Keiichi's doorway. As Peorth exited Keiichi's room, Urd quickly sneaked away so that they wouldn't see her. "Keiichi, you never cease to amaze me." She said to herself as she closed the door to her room.

The next morning, Keiichi awakened to find a note and a rose on his desk. He sat down at his desk as he opened it.

"Keiichi, thank you for what you said last night. It's true that people like you are far and few in this world. I can see why Belldandy is so taken by you. If I ever meet someone, I hope he is as true and kind-hearted as you are. Please take care of Belldandy and her sisters. Hopefully, I'll see you again someday. Take care… Peorth."

Keiichi walked down the hallway and stopped in front of Belldandy's door. He smiled as he said good morning to her. Peorth last night had helped him realize that love is something that can come easy if you say directly what comes straight from the heart.

"Hey sis!" Skuld ran into Belldandy's room right behind Keiichi.

Back in Yggdrasil, Peorth sat in her chair overlooking the system operators' different stations. She sat there expressionless thinking to herself.

"If it had only been me…" Peorth said. She closed her eyes with her head bowed down in sadness. Yet, she managed to lift her head up and feel happy, knowing with great optimism that there are great people in the world like Keiichi, and there is that one special guy out there just for her. Just maybe, she'll find him someday soon.

End of Chapter 7

Writer's notes:

All characters of Oh My Goddess! (c) Kosuke Fujishima and used without permission.

- Due to the fact that medical school has probably zapped my creativity brain cells, I don't think this chapter was written as well as my other ones. Hopefully, the next two will be easier for me to write. I tried to keep with Peorth's personality from the manga, but at the same time attempted to avoid recycling the Fourth Goddess storyline arc. Unfortunately, little hints of it managed to show up in my writing. I hoped you enjoyed it at least.

* - A little difficult to put in writing the description of Peorth's outfit. If you've seen the movie or have read the manga, you'll get the picture

** - Wondering about that? This will come up again in a later chapter. Ever wonder about if Urd had a past love? Could the Demon Goddess Mara have something to do with her past love? You'll find out more in Chapter 9.

- I will try to get either one of these chapters written as soon as possible, although med school limits the amount of free time I have to do this. With the story structures I already have in mind, these should not take as long to write as this one.

- Remember that this is based on the OAV and movie anime storyline, with these chapters being my depiction of continuing events after the movie.

Next Chapter(s): Chapter 8 – A Young Goddess's Crush

Chapter 9 – Urd's Past Tension of Love

Episode/Chapter list.

6 The Great Race (posted)

7 Awkward Moments (new)

8 A Young Goddess's Crush

9 Urd's Past Tension of Love

10 The Anniversary

11 Girls Night Out

12 The Dance in the Stars (posted)

13 Past, Present, and Future 

14 A Birthday Wish

15 The Match Made in Heaven (The Wedding)


	3. Chapter Episode 8 A Young Goddess's Cr...

Chapter/Episode 8 – A Young Goddess's Crush

The rays of the sun reflected off a shiny silver and white metal frame, with the only sounds in the forest on this perfect July summer day being the gusts and turning of wheels of a lone figure. A boy races on his bicycle through a wide forest pathway of cherry blossoms. His destination was the temple at the top of the hill, a place where he had lately become a frequent visitor to. For the past few weeks, riding through this familiar scene had become more pleasant and enjoyable each and every day that he passed through it.

"I hope that we can get Banpei working today." He thought to himself. "Skuld. She's really something. At first, I didn't even know what to say to her, let alone any girl, but now I really enjoy being around her. I guess that's why I've been looking forward to my bicycle trips that I've taken these past few weeks."

He began to accelerate as he headed towards a stream near the end of the arched cherry blossom pathway. Instead of heading for the small bridge, he turned instead to leap himself into the air using a rock as ramp, soaring effortlessly and landing on the opposite bank. As he climbed the hill, he emerged onto a small walkway with the Morisato temple in sight.

Inside of her room, screws, wires, and various tools were strewn all over the place. Skuld was at her computer, speedily typing away without a pause.

"Okay, go!" Skuld yelled as finally ceased typing to lift up one hand and slam the Return key with her finger. Banpei was connected to the computer through ribbon cables and various wires. She began to hear a whirring from inside Banpei. He stood up and turned his head from left to right and back, looking around the room. Suddenly all of his limbs began to flail wildly out of control as he was spouting gibberish.

"!#$%##@*&!?%$!@$%^&^%^$#&^%$"

"Oh no! Stop, stop!" Skuld panicked as she frantically typed in some commands and hit the Return key again, stopping Banpei in his tracks and with the whirring sound spinning down.

"Sighhh…."

Sentarou approached the front door which was half opened and entered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sentarou. Here to see Skuld again? She's in her room." Keiichi said as he rounded the corner to greet him

"How's she doing?"

"I think she'll be glad to see you right now. She's been working on him since early this morning."

Sentarou made his way to Skuld's room. As he entered, he noticed Skuld lying at the floor looking up at the ceiling.

"I wish Sentarou was here right now." She said. As she looked towards the door, she immediately sprung up. "Hey, I'm so happy that you're here! Please help me!"

"Okay, let's see what we've got…"

Throughout the afternoon, Skuld and Sentarou worked together like a team, taking turns typing and making adjustments to Banpei. After 3 hours, it was time to give it another go.

"Okay, here we go." Sentarou pressed the Return key and looked at Banpei who booted up again. He stood up and looked back at him. Approaching Sentarou, he reached out to grab and shake his right hand."

"HE LLO. NICE..TO..MEET..YOU (beep) (beep)"

Skuld was overwhelmed with joy. "You did it!!" She looked at Banpei and hugged him. "It's good to have you back." She turned to Sentarou and leaped over to hug him.

"Thank you sooo much."

"Oh, uh, no problem." They both blushed red, just now realizing they were hugging each other.

"(Wow, I didn't mean to do this. It feels strange, but kind of nice too.)"

Skuld pulled away. "Ahem. Thank you for your help, Sentarou. You really helped me out a lot."

"Oh, um, your welcome…you know, this was fun. I never thought I'd get to work on something like this. Banpei here is really amazing." Banpei walked ups to Sentarou.

"SEN TA ROU…(beep) (beep) NICE TO MEET YOU" he grabbed his hand again and shook it very hard, almost throwing him.

"H-h-hey! T-take it easy!"

"Banpei, let him go." Banpei stopped immediately.

"Whew! Well, he's working for the most part. We should do a check later on his motion relay circuits."

"Okay."

"Well, um…I'd better get going. Megumi is expecting me."

As they walked outside towards Sentarou's bike, he was thinking to himself that he should say something to her. After all, these past few weeks had been a big change for him. This was the first time he had ever felt this comfortable with a girl. It had been so much fun working with Skuld, and that he always looked forward to each coming day just to see her. As Sentarou climbed onto his bike, he was frantically thinking of what to say to her.

"Uh Skuld?"

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. Well, you see…I uh"

"Hey, if there's something you wanna tell, just say it."

He managed to pull himself together. "Skuld, I just…want to say…that you're fun and really nice, and uh, I'm glad that I got to help you."

Skuld felt a little disappointed. It was flattering his compliments that he gave her, but was kind of hoping that he would want to see her again.

"Anyways, um…I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hmm? Oh, uh yeah. I'll see you tomorrow then."

As Sentarou began to ride off, although Skuld had managed to produce a smile, it gradually turned to sadness as he disappeared through the gate.

"(Did I do something wrong? Did I make him mad? Wait a minute! Why do I care? It's not I like him! But why do I feel so strange? Like a soft and warm feeling?) I know! I'll ask sis about this!" Skuld immediately dashes inside to find Belldandy.

******

At Megumi's apartment, Sentarou and Megumi are sitting down at the table with some tea. A few boxes were scattered around her apartment since she had brought some of Keiichi's and her stuff from home.

"So Sentarou, you've been hanging out with Skuld a lot huh?"

"Well, yes. I've been helping her with her robot, Banpei. She's really amazing, especially with how she built him." Sentarou quickly took a sip of his tea, hoping that Megumi wouldn't pry any further. Megumi slyly looked him, obviously going for the kill with her next question.

"Soo…do you like her?"

"Huh? Well, I…I enjoy hanging out with her. She's really nice…and fun." He managed to say. Of course, he wasn't hiding anything with his face starting to turn red with embarrassment.

"Well, then just ask her out."

"What? But Megumi, I can't do that."

"Why not hmmm? You just said that you enjoy spending time with her. Come on, what do you have to lose?"

"But Megumi I...I don't even know how."

"Hey, it's simple. Just ask her if she would like to go out sometime to the movies, the aquarium, or any place fun you can think of."

"Do you think it'll work?"

"Yeah, of course it will. Trust me." She assured him as she winked and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well, I guess…I'll give it a try."

"There ya go. I know she'll say yes."

Sentarou takes another sip of his tea and proceeds to change the subject to avoid the topic of his now obvious crush.

"Hey, you know, Keiichi's really lucky. He has a wonderful girlfriend. Belldandy is really nice, and very pretty. How did he meet her?"

"Well…hmmm…hey, you know what? I never really thought about that. I just remembered when his dorm kicked him out a few years ago for having a girl there. And when I found him moving in at the temple, I just assumed he met her at Nekomi Tech and just left it at that. I've never really asked him about that."

******

Skuld peeked into the living room to find Keiichi and Belldandy hard at work with some schematics for a motorcycle Chihiro had asked to be restored for the motor club show.

"The frame itself is going to take a lot of work. I'll have to talk to Tamiya about this…"

"All of these motorcycles and racing vehicles are for the show?"

"Yeah. It's gonna take all of the members of the club to get them done in time. We have a little over a month and a half to get ready, since the show is in August."

Belldandy looks up to see Skuld standing in the doorway.

"Oh hi Skuld!"

"Belldandy, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course!"

Keiichi begins to get up. "I'll leave you two alone so you can talk…"

"Actually, I need to ask you too. I-it's about Sentarou."

Keiichi sits back down. Skuld hesitates for a moment to say anything.

"Well, when Sentarou left earlier, he told me that I was nice and fun to be with, then he left in a hurry. Has he said anything to you Keiichi?"

"No…I wouldn't worry too much about it Skuld. From what I remember about Sentarou, he's really shy around a lot of people. But you know what? I've never seen him this way before."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Since he's been coming over here, he's been more energetic and seems to show a lot more confidence than he used to. I'm really glad for you. It sounds like you've been a very good influence on him."

"But why am I even worried about this? It's not like I…"

"Oh!…Well, I think that he probably feels the same way about you too, Skuld. He may just be having a hard time with how to deal with it or how to say it."

"But what feelings are those?"

"It's the feeling of love." Belldandy said.

"What is love like?"

"Love is a powerful force. It can be a warmth that starts deep inside of you and grows as you feel it more. Caring and a strong sense of connection with the ones who are close to your heart are what make it so special. That's what makes the power of a goddess so great."

"Is that what I'm feeling for Sentarou? But it can't be! I can't be feeling love for him!"

"One of the most wonderful things about love is when you find it and you begin to understand for yourself what it is."

Keiichi smiled adoringly as he listened to what Belldandy was telling Skuld. What Belldandy was saying was very true. He knew that for him, it was something that came unexpectedly. But nevertheless, with Belldandy, it is something that he never wants to let go of. Yet, sometimes the difficult part is being able to say the words to express that feeling to the one who means so much to you.

******

The next day, Sentarou and Skuld were once again at work on Banpei. After a few hours that morning, the fine tuning that they had done on his motion and sensory relay circuits had finally paid off.

"We did it! He looks great!"

"Yeah! All I need to do is reinstall my security protocol, but I'll do that later." Skuld says. Suddenly, she grabs Sentarou's hand.

"Come on! Let's go do something! We have to celebrate!"

"H-hey!"

After a short walk, Skuld and Sentarou ended up getting some ice cream at a stand nearby the university and ended up stopping at the fountain in the center of the Nekomi Tech campus.

"I can't believe I'm going to be starting here when this summer's over."

"So you'll be going to classes like Belldandy and Keiichi."

"Yeah. I'm glad that I know a few familiar faces here, so at least it won't be lonely."

"What about the others that were here that 1st day?"

"The other students at that meeting are older than me. You see, I graduated early from my school, and even then, I didn't have that many friends. The ones I did have already left and are going to study in America. So all I have are Keiichi and Megumi. They've been like a brother and sister to me, especially since I'm an only child."

"When Belldandy left and came here to live with Keiichi, I started to feel lonely too. All I really had was her."

"What about Urd?"

"I don't get along with her that well. I just wish she would stop treating me like a kid."

"Well, I don't think that you're a little kid…I think that you're really great. Not too many people besides Keiichi and Megumi have been this nice to me."

"Well those people are stupid! Who cares about them anyways right?"

"I guess you're right."

"Yeah, because you know what? You won't be lonely anymore, because not only do you have Keiichi and Megumi, you have me. And my sister Belldandy too." 

"Thanks Skuld."

"Hee hee. You're welcome…you know what? We should do this more often."

"Yeah. This is nice…Hey, do you want to do something tomorrow, like maybe go to the aquarium?"

"The aquarium?! Really?! I've never been there. Belldandy told me that she went with Keiichi once, and I've wanted to go since!"

"Okay, then tomorrow afternoon then.(Wow! I can't believe I just did that. Megumi was right. And that just came out naturally too.)"

"Ohhh! I can't wait!"

******

That evening at Megumi's apartment:

"Well, congratulations Sentarou. I told you it was easy. So…what do you have planned for your guys' date tomorrow?" Megumi asked as she sat down with Sentarou at the table.

"The aquarium, and I thought maybe we'd go rollerskating in the park."

"Hey, not bad."

"I hope she'll like it. I've never done this before."

"You'll be fine. Just be yourself, like you have been." Megumi folds her hands and rests her head on them. "Sentarou, you've really grown up a lot. Both Keiichi and I are really happy for you."

"I've never felt like this before. It's like I feel more…"

"Confident about yourself? I agree. You definitely seem like it. Sentarou, you never gave yourself enough credit before. You're one of the nicest guys that Keiichi and I have ever known. We know this, and so does Belldandy, Urd…and Skuld."

"This is a big change. But a good one though."

"Just remember that you don't ever have to worry about being alone, because you have all of us." Megumi assured him.

"That's what Skuld said too."

******

The next day: 

Sentarou arrived at the temple early in the afternoon. As he entered the front door, he could hear hurried footsteps coming from down the hallway.

"Hi!" Skuld rounded the hallway and stopped in front of him.

"Hi! Well, uh ready to go?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Keiichi, Belldandy, and Urd came from around the corner as well.

"Have a wonderful time you two!" Belldandy delightfully said.

"Yeah. Today's a nice day out. Have a good time."

"Just be sure you don't cause any trouble you two."

"Urd!!"

"Uh, anyways, we'll see you later. Bye!"

Skuld and Sentarou opened the door and stepped out into the summer day. Skuld walked with her hands folded behind her, anxiously waiting for what Sentarou had planned.

Belldandy turned to look at Keiichi, who watched them with great cheerfulness as they left the grounds of the temple. She could sense his joy that he had for his young friend, for she felt it too for how happy her little sister was. 

******

Sentarou had the afternoon planned out, which was a nice change from looking at the computer screen and tinkering with circuits. The aquarium was their first stop for the afternoon. This was Skuld's first time visiting. Never having the chance to look at sea life this closely, this quickly became an exciting start to their day together.

"Oh, look at those! What are these things called?" as Skuld ran to a large tank of what look to be large flattened fish with long tails.

"These are manta rays. Some people call them stingrays. And there are some turtles over there too."

"Wow! They look so cute! It's almost like they're flying."

"There are a lot of interesting animals that live in the ocean. It's really amazing when you get to see them up close like this."

"I wanna see more! Come on! Show me!" Skuld grabs Sentarou and drags him along.

So far the afternoon started out well. Next up on their list was the park where they took a break to enjoy some snow cones at a park bench.

"Is this ice cream?"

"Not quite. You've never had snow cones? Try it. It's just as good as ice cream. I think you'll like it."

Skuld examined the red colored slush for a moment. Not quite sure what to expect, she decided to take a lick to taste it. Its sweet taste, which was distinctively different from ice cream, but just as enjoyable definitely appealed to her.

"Hey, this tastes good! I like it!" Skuld didn't waste anytime as she quickly ate up the flavored slush. Sentarou started to smile, happy to know that Skuld was enjoying herself, and realized that this was the first time in a long time that he has had this much fun.

"So what are we going to do next?" she asked as she continued to devour her snow cone.

"I was thinking…that maybe you'd like to go roller skating around here?"

"Hey, that means that I can try out my new invention. I just happened to bring it with me."

"What is it?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Sentarou noticed something on Skuld's shoulder and began to reach over to brush it off.

"Hey, Skuld? Wait a second. You have a bug on your…"

Skuld jumped up flailing her arms in a panic. "Bug! Where! Ahh! I hate bugs!! Where is it so I can squash it!" Her first instinct was to reach for her mallet on her back, but stopped as she frantically spun around trying to find it.

"Huh? I don't see it. Where did it go?"

"It's gone Skuld. Actually it wasn't a bug. It was just a leaf." Sentarou responded in a suppressed tone.

"Whew! That had me worried for a second. I thought that maybe there was another system leakage. Don't scare me like that Sen…" Skuld said as she turned back around towards Sentarou. Her relief immediately turned to shock. During those few seconds of confusion, Skuld had thrown the remainder of her snow cone into the air, which ended on his head, with the melted slush soaking him.

"(Gasps) Oh no! I'm sorry!"

Sentarou wasn't the type of person to get upset over mishaps since he was used to it, mostly involving his bicycle. Interestingly enough, a mishap was what had occurred that day that he met Skuld at Nekomi Tech. Whereas most people would have just stared and probably laughed at him , she was the one person who showed concern and wanted to help him. You might say it was an accident that brought them to each other.

After getting cleaned up, Sentarou back down on the bench to slip on his roller skates as Skuld rounded a corner from a distance to stop in front of him. She was sporting some bright white skates with extra mechanical parts attached to it.

"These are my special booster speed skates."

"How do they work?"

"Come on! I'll show you."

Sentarou stood up and followed Skuld as she sped off towards a straight pathway nearby. He could not keep up since it seemed she was going at two to three times the speed he was. Sentarou was out of breath after reaching the end of the path just trying to keep up with her.

"(huff)(huff) Wow! How were you going so fast?"

"Oh here! Let me show you." She begins to skate off back towards where they just came from. "All you have to do is accelerate like you usually, then tap the ground with these special sensors to speed up."

"Then how do you slow down or stop?" Sentarou yelled from a distance.

"Press down with the front of the skate like you normally do."

Skuld stopped about halfway up the path and turned around to head back towards Sentarou. As she began to head towards him, she used the accelerator on the skate to speed up. Approaching from less than 100 feet away, she pressed down with her right foot onto the front of her skate to slow down. Unfortunately, she wasn't starting to slow down at all. Instead, she began to accelerate even further

"Huh? Ahhh! Stop! Stop! Look out!"

Sentarou immediately jumped out of the way as Skuld began to speed out of control. After taking a few laps around a small flower garden, she was headed right towards Sentarou once again.

"Aaah!" Sentarou managed to dodge her again as she took another lap around the flower garden.

"Um, uhhh…Is there any way to turn it off?"

"I can't! It's on the bottom! Aaaah!"

Sentarou decided to jump right into Skuld's path as she raced towards him. Looks like the only way to stop it was to catch her. Making a line right towards him, Sentarou prepared himself to withstand the impact and catch her. 

"Gotcha!" Within a matter of seconds, Skuld crashed at an angle right into Sentarou, with the resulting impact throwing both of them onto the ground of the garden.

"Ouch! Well, at least that was a soft landing. Ohhh…"

"Are you okay? I'm sorry…maybe I shouldn't have brought them with me."

"It's alright…ugh." Sentarou propped himself up off the ground. "Maybe…it just needs a little work. R-right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Skuld started to look a little bit upset.

"Come on, let's go do something else." Sentarou smiled and helped her up.

As the afternoon was beginning to wind down, Skuld and Sentarou eventually made their way out of the park back into the city. Near one of the downtown shops, Sentarou spotted a photo booth and suggested that they get a photo as a memento of their day together. Skuld was ecstatic at the idea.

"Oh no! It's broken!" Sentarou said in disappointment.

"Wait! Maybe I can fix it! Let's see…" Skuld opened the panel and started working with the connections. After a few minutes, she closed the panel and hit the start button. "Let's try it!"

Skuld and Sentarou positioned themselves in front of the camera as the machine took four snapshots. Hoping that nothing would go wrong this time, they waited patiently as the machine produced 2 sets of 4 pictures of the two of them.

"Hey, it worked!"

"Excuse me, wasn't that broken a second ago?" A man said as he walked towards them.

"Uh, well it was. She just fixed it."

"Oh, really? I haven't been able to get that thing working for weeks. Thank you very much, miss."

"Oh, uh no problem." Skuld responded with a warm smile. At least after what had happened earlier, at least the aquarium tour and this went right.

"Well, can I help you two with anything else?"

"Actually, I was wanting to buy a gift for her."

"Well, let's see. We have these brooches that are very popular right now." The man tells them as he leads them to a nearby display case. "Flowers, hearts, turtles, a star,…"

An angel brooch immediately caught Sentarou's eye. "What about the angel?"

"Oh, a very nice choice."

"I'll take it."

Sentarou and Skuld began to make their way back to the temple after leaving the shop. They could see the sun setting from their window as the streetcar traveled through the city, bringing them back near the temple.

As they entered the temple grounds, both of them stopped at the front porch and looked into the sky to see the night falling upon them.

"Well, I guess this is the end of our day."

"It was a lot of fun….I'm so sorry though about earlier today."

"Oh, it's okay. Those were just accidents."

"I know. I just thought that I knew what I was doing with my inventions."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Hey, you fixed the photo booth, remember?"

"That's true." Skuld responded.

"Hey, isn't that Banpei?" Sentarou had noticed Banpei walking from around the corner and turned towards them.

"Oh, I forgot! I just put the security protocol back into him this morning, and I wanted to show you."

Banpei immediately started running towards them. However, he didn't seem to be slowing down and crashed into Sentarou with a hard tackle instead.

"H-hey! Banpei! It's me!" Banpei backed off immediately, and proceeded to extend his hand to Sentarou.

"Ouch! Be careful! It's good to see you again, though." He said as he reached out to shake his hand. Without warning, Banpei started shaking Sentarou until producing enough force to him above his head, with Sentarou on the ground onto his back.

"Uh-oh…" Banpei made a beeline right towards Sentarou again, about to attack him.

"Oh no! Banpei stop!"

"Can you override him?"

Skuld pulled out a remote control and started hitting buttons. "I can't! Something's wrong with the security protocol!"

"Wait! Try disabling his optic sensors!" Sentarou yelled as he tried to fight out Banpei.

After hitting a few buttons, Banpei suddenly stopped attacking Sentarou, but ending up flailing around uncontrollably until coming to a complete stop.

"Whew! That was close. Let's take a look at him at least."

A few minutes later:

"It looks like his optic neural circuits are burned out and it got his motion transmitter paths as well. We'll have to rebuild the circuitry…Skuld?"

"This is all my fault. I ruined today and everything we worked so hard for."

"What do you mean? It wasn't your fault. Don't worry about it. We'll just start again tomorrow."

"But it took you so long to do this."

"It's no big deal…really. Um, anyways, did you have fun today?"

"Yeah, I had a good time." Skuld responded but with a depressed tone.

"…Hey, don't worry about Banpei. We can fix him. We'll just start bright and early tomorrow like we always do, right?"

"Right…well, I'll go ahead and take care of Banpei. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are, you sure?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay…Skuld, I had a wonderful time with you today." He said as he climbed onto his bike.

"Thank you."

Sentarou hesitated to leave, but she kept reassuring him that everything was okay As he slowly rode away to the gate, the pain that had been building inside of her she could no longer contain, bursting into silent tears and sobbing as she sat back down on the porch of the temple. For some reason she had felt that this was her fault, that her mishaps and mistakes were what ruined the perfect day with Sentarou and his hard work.

As she continued to cry, she managed to lift her head up to see Sentarou kneeling down and looking into her eyes.

"Sen..tarou?"

"Skuld…please, don't…" He gathered his courage to finally tell her what he was afraid to say before. Skuld, there's something that I wanted to say to you before, but I wasn't quite sure how." Sentarou smiled. "These past few weeks have been the best ones of my life. Everyday, I look forward to riding through the cherry blossoms just to see you. Skuld…you helped me find a part of my own self that I never knew about. You are the sweetest girl I've ever met, and that's why I really like you." Sentarou reached and held her hand tightly. No matter what happens, you'll never be alone…because you'll always have me." 

Skuld flung herself into his arms into a tight embrace, both of them holding that moment endlessly. Keiichi had been watching from nearby, and sighed at this moment that he observed. Keiichi and Megumi's young friend had grown up before their eyes, as so did the young goddess who was starting to know for herself what love was. Around the corner near the porch, Belldandy had witnessed this moment as well and sighed.

"(The love of a young goddess…the first moment that you begin to understand and feel it with the one you love is the most special and closest to your heart)."

The next morning, Skuld was up bright and early as usual. As she started up her computer to get ready for another day's work, she smiled as she knew that like every morning, she would hear the voice of a boy that she always looked forward to seeing each and every day. While standing up, she felt something inside of her pocket near her angel brooch and reached in to find the pictures that they took yesterday. As she attached the pictures to the edge of her computer monitor, she heard the sound of the front door closing and Keiichi greeting him. Skuld got up and ran out the door towards the direction of the voices. The 4 individual shots of the two of them were a memento of their one special summer day together, a day out of all of them, they would always remember.

Writer's notes:

- This chapter was definitely a lot harder to write than the others. Mainly due to the fact that I was trying to give Sentarou a different personality, going more for the really shy boy who starts to open up because of a girl. Honestly, I probably ended up going a little off track with Skuld's personality in this chapter.

- If some sections grammar wise do not make any sense, please reviewers, e-mail me and let me know. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this installment of my Oh My Goddess story set, The Dance in the Stars, a continuation after the events of the OAV and the movie.

- Chapter 9 will probably take less time to do and will probably be up soon. Is there a link to how Mara became a 1st class demon and a man that Urd was in love with? Who is this Marle that supposedly had feelings for him?

- Thank you for everyone who has read and reviewed this story set. I'm really glad you guys have enjoyed it. Please review this more and e-mail me at sp831@hotmail.com.


	4. Chapter Episode 12 The Dance in the St...

Episode/Chapter 12 - The Dance in the Stars  
  
It's a warm summer morning with a cool breeze drifting through the Morisato residence. The wind chime resonates its melodic tones with each catching flow as it passes throughout the temple. Keiichi and Belldandy are the only ones awake at this time. They are sitting in Keiichi's room on his futon. Having dealt with so many events within the past 3 1/2 years including the recall, Celestine, and the racing accident(see chapter/episode 6). Keiichi knew that he had to tell Belldandy those feelings that he never had a chance to express from his heart, those feelings that he hoped so much she shared as well.  
  
"Belldandy, after everything we've been through, I can't help but still feel scared about us." Pauses and let out a breath. "I almost lost you twice. What if something else happens? I couldn't stand going through it again, seeing you hurt.because.you might not come back or want to come back, because of me."  
  
"Don't say that, Kei. I want to do everything in my power to keep my promise to you. You haven't done anything wrong. Even if there wasn't a contract, I would still want to be here with you."  
  
Keiichi took and held her hand close to his chest, gathering his courage within himself to look into her eyes and tell her those words for so long he wanted to say.  
  
"Belldandy, there's something I want to tell you. If I don't say it now, I'm afraid that I'll never have the chance to."  
  
"Yes, Keiichi?" she leans closer to him.  
  
He looks down at their hands momentarily, then raises his head, looking with a touch of anxiety into her eyes. He had to say it now.  
  
"Belldandy, I."  
  
*********  
  
"Keiichi! Keiichi, wake up! The guys are here!"  
  
Megumi was furiously shaking him.  
  
"Huhh?." he groaned.  
  
"Yo, Morisato! We've got work to do! Let's go!" That was Tamiya alright, itching to get started early, as with every day for the past two weeks on the motorbike restoration project for an upcoming motor show they had been working on. Unfortunately, the project that taken a lot of time away from him and Belldandy, since they had barely seen each other.  
  
Keiichi slowly crawled out of his futon, feeling the coldness of the floor as his face made contact with it. He manages to collect himself, eyes half closed still and staggers to the bathroom. While washing his face to wake himself up, he feels someone's hands touch the sides of his shoulders.  
  
"Good morning." Belldandy smiled as she helped dry his face. "Another late night?"  
  
"Yeah. It feels like this project's taking forever.Hey, Bell, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately."  
  
"It's okay. I know how important this is for you guys and the club."  
  
"I promise that I'll make it up to you."  
  
"Oh, don't worry Kei. Really." She smiles at him. "Come on, I have breakfast ready for you."  
  
At breakfast, Tamiya sits quietly eating, holding constant his serious expression.  
  
"Whoa, Belldandy, this is really great!"  
  
"Oh, thanks Ootaki! I'm glad you like it."  
  
"Now, I see why Morisato always eats at home."  
  
"That's right. I could never pass up one of her home cooked meals. Everything she makes is just perfect."  
  
Keiichi glanced over at Belldandy as she was walking back towards the kitchen. Obviously, she had heard them since he caught her slightly blushing. Tamiya finishes.  
  
"Well, let's get to work. Hey, Bell, thanks for breakfast."  
  
"Of course, Tamiya."  
  
"Okay. Let me go get my bike, and we'll be on our way." Keiichi stands up and scurries out the door.  
  
Tamiya and Ootaki start to get up when Belldandy whispers to them.  
  
"Hey, can you make sure he makes it back at 9:00 tonight?"  
  
"Of course. We know the plan." Ootaki answers.  
  
Keiichi walks back in, helmet in hand. "Okay, ready."  
  
Belldandy walks up to Keiichi as Ootaki and Tamiya head out the door towards their bikes.  
  
"Here, I made a lunch for you."  
  
"Oh yeah, thanks Bell. Um, I'll see you tonight then?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm going out shopping with the girls today."  
  
"Okay. Well have fun then. Hopefully, Urd won't cause too much trouble this time."  
  
"I heard that!" Urd's voice responds from her room.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her." She says with a wink.  
  
They walk outside to the temple gates. Tamiya and Ootaki were ready to go.  
  
He stopped for a moment feeling that he should say something else. In an impulsive move, he quickly leans in a kisses her on the cheek. He freezes momentarily, wondering why he had just done that.  
  
"Uh, bye." He starts to walk towards his bike and stumbles, almost falling down the steps. Belldandy placed her hand on her cheek where he had just kissed her, standing there in a state of wonder and surprise. She watches him adoringly as he gets on his bike  
  
"Bye."  
  
As the guys drove away from the temple, Belldandy still stood there taking in the peck that Keiichi had just given her.  
  
**********  
  
Throughout the day, Keiichi, Tamiya, and Ootaki worked non-stop on the restoration project, going back and forth between the clubhouse and the store for parts.  
  
Meanwhile, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, and Megumi were enjoying their day at the mall. Belldandy was looking for a dress for tonight. A special occasion that she had planned for her and Keiichi. Skuld was looking for some new clothes and a gift for Sentarou(*). Megumi was looking for new shoes. And Urd was trying on lingerie in one store, not looking for anything in particular. Belldandy walks in to find her. Urd had just stepped out of the dressing room.  
  
"Hey, Bell, you should get this to show to Keiichi." Urd flashes a black lace outfit in front of Belldandy.  
  
"Um, I don't know about that."  
  
"About what?" Skuld was right behind Belldandy. Suddenly, she has a puzzled look on her face, staring at the outfit Urd was holding.  
  
"Um, what is that?"  
  
"What?.Oh that's right. You've never stuff like this before, have you?"  
  
"No. But why would you wear that? It looks weird." Skuld replies as she continues to look over it.  
  
"Oh really.Hmph. Well...you're too young to understand this anyways." Urd scoffs at Skuld.  
  
"Whoa! Bell, are you buying this to."  
  
Belldandy turns around. Megumi had just walked in and saw Urd holding the outfit in front of Belldandy. "Oh no. Not yet. He'd probably feel a little uncomfortable if he saw me wear this."  
  
"Why not. He's seen you naked." (See chapter/episode 7)  
  
Belldandy's eyes bug out and immediately turns back around. "Urd!!! Hey!!!"  
  
"What?! That pervert! I should..." Skuld exlaims.  
  
"Come on girls, let's go." Megumi says.  
  
They continue walking together through the mall. Belldandy is looking at every window they pass hoping to find the perfect dress for tonight. Suddenly she stops and stares in awe at a shimmering blue and white evening gown displayed in one of the store windows.  
  
"Oh, this is perfect."  
  
********  
  
Back at the clubhouse:  
  
"Whew. We're finally almost finished." Keiichi barely had time to rest during the day, except to eat his lunch. He was starting to feel the effects of his non-stop day as he sat back for a moment and wiped the sweat with his arm across his forehead.  
  
As the sun began to set, Keiichi looked at his watch. It was 7:30. He put the finishing touches on the bike he had been working on for the past week. He lies back on the ground and breathes a sigh of relief.  
  
"Morisato, all done? Wonderful." Tamiya said.  
  
Keiichi props himself back up. "Hey, you guys need help?  
  
"No, we've got it. Go on home. We'll see you this weekend."  
  
"Oh alright. Thanks guys."  
  
"Have a good night Morisato." Ootaki tells him.  
  
As Keiichi is riding his bike home, it's now dark outside. He could see some of the stars in the sky. A falling star graces its presence within Keiichi's view.  
  
(To himself) "One wish of my heart's desire. I still remember that from over 3 years ago."  
  
(Playback of their conversations in his mind) "I know my wish. I want you to be my girlfriend forever!"  
  
"You have a good heart Keiichi Morisato. And it makes my heart happy that I was your wish."  
  
"I'm happy that I made that wish."  
  
Keiichi arrives home.  
  
"Hello? Anyone home?"  
  
The house is empty. He checks Belldandy's room to see if she had maybe been asleep. As he walks into his room, he notices a message card with a white bow ribbon on his desk. He approaches the desk and examines the card, at the same time noticing a tuxedo on his chair that Megumi had set for him.  
  
"Hmm." He unties the bow and unfolds the card to what he already recognizes as Belldandy's handwriting.  
  
"Keiichi, please meet me at the courtyard by the river at 9:00 tonight. I'll be waiting for you.Bell." She had a cute signature with a heart below her message.  
  
"A chance for us to be alone for tonight?" He glances at his watch. "Well, I'd better get ready then."  
  
He makes it to the location right on time. He walks down the steps of a beautiful botanical garden to a landing facing the river with a perfect view of the sky. Keiichi was all dressed up in his tuxedo.  
  
"Belldandy! Belldandy?" he calls out as he approaches the center of the landing. Belldandy approaches from behind him and covers his eyes. She giggles.  
  
"Bell?"  
  
"Hi! Keep your eyes closed." She walks around to the front of him. "You look so handsome.Kei, I'm so glad that you made it here."  
  
"Is everything okay?"  
  
"Yes, of course. Keiichi, there's a place that I want to share with you tonight."  
  
She places her arms around Keiichi's waist.  
  
"Hold onto me, okay?"  
  
Keiichi feeling a small amount of anxiety places his arms around her. A white light appears above them as Belldandy's angel wings sprout. As they begin to lift off, Keiichi could feel his feet no longer in contact with solid ground. He tensed up momentarily, then completely relaxed his entire body as Belldandy held on tighter to him. A few minutes later, Keiichi felt his feet touch solid ground again, although this time the ground felt different to his senses.  
  
"Keep your eyes closed. No peeking." Belldandy lets go of him and walks around behind him a few steps away. She stops and turns around, facing towards Keiichi's back.  
  
"Okay, open your eyes."  
  
As he slowly opened his eyes, before him was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. The stars and clouds within his vision extended as far as he could see. The ground beneath them was a solid gray marble that reflected the light of the moon and the stars above them. Pillars extending into the open sky and stone railings strung in ivy enclosed this place that had the look of a Greek temple, with the beauties of its architecture seemingly intact, and limitless vision of the night sky surrounding and the world below them. Taking a few steps to feel the ground he stood on, he realized that this was only a place that could only exist in dreams, or in Heaven. Keiichi slowly turns around. Standing before him was the essence of beauty that he had never imagined. Belldandy stood before his eyes in her shimmering, blue and white gown with satin sleeves that outlined her gracefulness and incredible beauty. Part of her hair was held together by a ribbon, while the rest flowed freely as it caressed her shoulders and her breasts. A sapphire necklace accented her soft white skin and red lips. Her shining blue eyes were fixed on Keiichi as she approached him, her dress drifting with every movement she made as she came closer to him.  
  
"Bell.you look so.i...incredible. I....I uh" he managed to nervously produce from his mouth.  
  
"He he....you look so handsome, Keiichi."  
  
Music begins to resonate throughout the structure. Just the two of them. This was finally their chance. Belldandy extends her hand to him.  
  
"May I have this dance, Keiichi?"  
  
Keiichi smiles at her. "I would be honored, Miss Belldandy."  
  
He takes her hand and begins to lead. Keiichi begins to feel his heart beat faster and harder in his chest. He knew that he wasn't much of a dancer and was expecting to trip all over the place or accidentally step on Belldandy's feet. As they began to move at the moderate tempo of the music, Keiichi realized that he wasn't the only one having problems. Belldandy was a little hesitant and stumbling with her movements since she hadn't been used to wearing the shoes that she had on. Eventually, they both just laughed at each others unfortunate situations. The music then changes to a slower romantic ballad. They try again to dance. Their movements flowed so naturally together as their eyes were fixed upon each other as they danced on throughout the night.  
  
"Keiichi, I'm so happy that you're with me tonight."  
  
"This place is so beautiful. What is this?"  
  
"A few years ago, before I came to you, Peorth had brought a couple here one night. She was granting them one wish each."  
  
"What were their wishes?"  
  
"They found out that they couldn't be together, but they loved each other so much. One of them wished for one last night with their true love. I was with her when she brought them here together. Nothing that night could've torn them apart. It was something that they would both remember no matter what became of them."  
  
"What did the other wish for?"  
  
"The other wished that someday, no matter how long it took, that they would find each other again, and this time they would be together forever."  
  
Keiichi immediately realized that this was almost exactly like their story.  
  
"Bell?"  
  
"I know that I can't promise that nothing could take me away from you, but I would do everything possible to stay with you, even if it meant giving up everything I ever knew being a goddess. I still so scared about losing you. I couldn't take it again."  
  
Keiichi could see in her fearful eyes that she holding back her tears. He remembered his dream where he felt the exact same fears as she did in this moment. This was it. He had to tell her now. He closed his eyes and dipped his head slightly, gathering all of his courage, a tingling warmness that trickled to his chest and his throat. He raised his head and opened his eyes, looking deep into the sparkling blues of Belldandy's eyes. He takes Belldandy's hands and pulls her close to him.  
  
"Belldandy, there's something I want to tell you. If I don't say it now, I may never have the chance to."  
  
"Keiichi?"  
  
She knew what he was about to say. Those three little words that she was longing to hear.  
  
"Belldandy...I love you." he softly spoke to her.  
  
Belldandy's eyes brightened as tears of happiness began to run down her cheeks. She immediately threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.  
  
"Oh, Keiichi! I love you too!" she whispered into his ear.  
  
They held each other in that moment endlessly. As they pulled away to look at each other, the music began once more. (Eyes on Me by Faye Wong **) This was the last song of their special night.  
  
Keiichi with an inviting smile asks, "May I have this last dance with you?"  
  
"It would be my pleasure, Kei."  
  
Keiichi took her hand one more time and began to lead. As they danced one last time, both of them flashed back through their memories of the past 3 1/2 years. Everything that they had been through together had all led to this one night. A dream come true for both of them. They had now opened their hearts to each other on this very night. As their last song was near the end, Belldandy stopped and embraced Keiichi once again. When she withdrew from her embrace, Keiichi caressed her cheek, wiping her tears. In the final notes of the song, they both closed their eyes and although with a small amount of hesitation, their lips drew towards each other. As their lips touched, they were both taken in by a warm sensation flowing through both of them as they held each other tighter. Time had seemed to just stop for that one perfect kiss, one that they didn't want to end.  
  
"Oh, Kei..."  
  
"You've made me so happy, Bell. Now I know that I don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll always remember this."  
  
"Me too." They stood motionless in each others arms.  
  
She wraps her arms around his waist. "Okay, close your eyes again."  
  
Keiichi placed his arms around her as the white glow appeared and her angel wings sprouted again. Keiichi felt so much comfort holding onto her that he began to fall asleep with his head partially buried in her breast. They began to lift off again. A few minutes later, they reached solid ground again. This time, she had already brought them home. Keiichi was still asleep in Belldandy's arms. It was 3:00 a.m.  
  
"Keiichi? Oh, you poor thing. You've had such a long day. But thank you for tonight."  
  
Belldandy helps Keiichi to his room, forgetting that her angel wings are still open. She lays him down onto his futon and covers him with his blanket. As she strokes her fingers across his forehead to sweep a lock of his hair, she kisses him on the forehead.  
  
"Sweet dreams, my love."  
  
Belldandy stands and retracts her wings as she begins to leave the room. She stops for a moment to look at him, sound asleep while reveling in their night together. She smiles and slowly closes the door.  
  
********  
  
The next morning, Keiichi is awakened by the warmth of the sun shining on him. As his senses gradually come to, he realizes that he's still dressed in his tuxedo. He gets up and stretches, taking in the warm glow of the morning sun. He feels someone's arms wrap around his shoulders and neck.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
Keiichi turns around with Belldandy's arms still around him.  
  
"Hey, good morning." They gaze into each others eyes for a few moments. Keiichi puts his arms around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. A few seconds later she takes his hands and begins to lead him towards the kitchen.  
  
"Come on, breakfast is ready."  
  
"Oh, um let me change out of this first. I'm still in my tuxedo."  
  
"He he. Of course. I'll see you out in a little bit."  
  
As she begins to exit, Keiichi walks up to her stops her at the doorway.  
  
"Hey, Bell?"  
  
"Yes, Kei?"  
  
He smiles at her."...Thank you for last night."  
  
"Last night meant so much to me. Kei, just remember that I would do anything to stay with you because you mean so much to me."  
  
"You mean so much to me too, Bell. I would do the same for you. I meant it back then, and I still mean it now. Please stay with me. Always?" She leans in and gives him a peck on the cheek.  
  
"Always..." She turns away smiling and walks back towards the kitchen.  
  
Keiichi changes into some more casual clothing. He notices near his futon a white feather lying at the base of the suns rays shining down on it. Picking up it, he realizes that it's from Belldandy's angel wings. Keiichi turns around and picks up the card on his desk that Belldandy had written. After looking at the message one more time, he closes it, tying the feather inside of the silky bow ribbon. He takes a glance at the picture of Belldandy and him together during their summer at the beach, placing the card together with it. He sighs and reminisces for a moment. Their relationship last night had taken a new step. One in which they opened their hearts to each other and had alleviated the biggest fears of their past 3 1/2 years together. They would remember this as their dance that they would never forget.  
  
Keiichi opened his desk drawer and pulled out a black velvet box.  
  
To himself: "Now I'm sure about this. This is what I want. But does she want the same thing?...Now's not yet the time. Hopefully soon." He smiles and places the box back into his desk. He takes one last glance towards his desk and the sun shining through his window as he closes the door behind him.  
  
End of Chapter/Episode 12  
  
Writer's notes:  
  
All characters of Oh My Goddess! (c) Kosuke Fujishima and used without permission  
  
* Unfortunately, I'm not very good at coming up with Japanese names. Sentarou as most of you is Skuld's love interest in the manga. However, my depiction of him will probably turn out differently that what is established in the manga storyline.  
  
** Eyes on Me - For any of you that are active video game players, you may recognize the name of this song from the Squaresoft game Final Fantasy VIII. This song occurs when the hero who has just saved the girl he has been protecting the whole time, realizes that he's falling in love with her, which is something he had never felt until he met her, since he had previous shut out the world throughout his entire life. I thought that this would be a good song for this scene in my fanfic story.  
  
This is my first draft and attempt at writing. Please review it or e-mail me your comments. I don't know if this is any good or not. Hopefully, you'll like it. Maybe some ideas or suggestions for cleanup or additional elements to add to the stories. These aren't in order, since some of them are a little more difficult for me to write, since I'm trying to stay with the established concepts and previous storyline aspects of the OAV and the movie. Here is the list of my chapters that I'll be writing:  
  
The Great Race  
  
Awkward Moments  
  
The Anniversary  
  
Urd's Past Tension  
  
A Young Goddess's Crush  
  
Girls Night Out  
  
The Dance in the Stars  
  
Past, Present, and Future  
  
A Birthday Wish  
  
15 The Match Made in Heaven (The Wedding) 


End file.
